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LIBRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
MRS.  DONALD  KELLOGG 


M.  DE  BLOWITZ  IN  LATER  LIFE 
I  From  the  paintiriK  by  Benjamin  Constant] 


Itiewoirs  of 
M.DE  BLOWITZ 


9 

Wi 

1 

New  York 

Doubleday  Pag^e  and  Co. 

19    0    5 


Coprfieht,  1889,  1891,  1891,  l8gj.  b7 
Harper  &  Brotheti 

Copyrieht,  igoa,  igoj,  bjr 
Curtii  Publishine  Companf 

Copyright,  190} ,  by 

Doableday,  Paee  &  Company 

Published,  October,  190] 


PUBLISHERS*    NOTE. 

Much  of  the  material  which  forms  this 
volume  has  appeared  serially  in  Harper's 
Monthly  Magazine  and  in  The  Saturday 
Evening  Post.  About  a  third  of  the  volume 
has  not  been  published  hitherto. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

Early  Youth 

3 

II. 

How  I  Became  a  Journalist 

23 

III. 

A  Champagne  Conspiracy 

52 

IV. 

Alphonso  XII.  Proclaimed  King  of 

Spair 

L       68 

V. 

The  French  Scare  of  1875 

.       91 

VI. 

The   Berlin  Congress 

.     116 

VII. 

What    Bismarck   Told   Me 

.     140 

VIIL 

Gambetta     and     Bismarck 

.     150 

IX. 

Alva 

.     156 

X. 

The  Revenge  of  Venus 

.     194 

XI. 

A  Life  Struggle         .... 

,     212 

XII. 

Why  France  Did  Not  Go  to  Egypt    , 

.     234 

XIII. 

My  Interview  with  the  Sultan 

,     242 

XIV. 

Exile  of  the  French  Princes 

270 

XV. 

San  Remo 

.     279 

XVI. 

How  Bismarck  Retired 

292 

XVII. 

Diplomacy  and  Journalism 

307 

vii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

M,  DE  Blowitz  in  Later  Life     .         .         .     Frontispiece 

Prom  the  painting  by  Benjamin  Constant 

FACING    PAGE 

The  DE  Blowitz  Family  Tree 4 

Madame  de  Blowitz.    .......       20 

From  a  photograph  made  during  the  last  year  of  her  life 

M.  Thiers     .........  38 

The  de  Blowitz  Coat  of  Arms  .....  88 

M.  DE  Blowitz  in  1878  at  the  Berlin  Congress     .  116 

Prince  Hohenlohe      .......  128 

From  an  autographed  photo  presented  to  M.  de  Blowitz 

M.  DE  Blowitz  as  Often  Seen  in  the  Streets  of 

Paris  with   His  Niece         ....  148 

From  a  photograph  made  during  the  last  year  of  his  life 

Specimen  of  the  Handwriting  of  M.  de  Blowitz, 
Written  a  Few  Days  Before  the  Opening  of 
THE   Chicago   Exposition      .....     iSo 

Les  Petites  Dalles,  in  Normandy    ....     226 

Showing  the  country  house  of  M.  de  Blowitz,  situated  on  the  top 
of  the  hill 

Les  Lampottes     ........     232 

M.  de  Blowitz's  country  house  in  Normandy 

Mons.  de  Blowitz 258 

As  he  travelled  to  Constantinople  in  1 883  and  as  he  was  received 
by  Sultan  Abdul-Hamid 

Facsimile  of  Part  of  Letter  from  the  Comte 
DE  Paris,  the  French  Pretender,  to  M. 
DE  Blowitz    ........     272 

About  the  book  which  the  Comte  de  Paris  was  writing  on  the  Ameri- 
can Civil  War 

ix 


LIST  OF  ILLVSTRATIOISIS—Contmued 

Dinner  Given  by  M.  de  Blowitz,  Showing  the 
Guests 


290 


Silver  Statue  Given  to  M.  de  Blowitz  on  His 
Retirement,  by  the  Paris  Correspondents 
of  All  Foreign  Papers,  December  18,  1902     .     302 

All  the  Paris  Correspondents  of  the  Foreign 

Press  Assembled  Around  M.  de  Blowitz    .         .     316 

At  the  Hotel  Ritz,  Paris,  on  the  day  of  his  retirement,  December 
18,  1902 


MEMOIRS  OF 
M.  DE  BLOWITZ 


J 


CHAPTER   I 
Early  Youth 

MY  origin,  infancy  and  youth  have  been  narrated 
so  often  that  no  one  will,  I  hope,  find  fault 
with  me  if,  in  my  turn,  I  myself  give  an  account 
of  them.  Since  they  have  appeared  sufficiently  inter- 
esting for  others  to  relate,  I  also  have  acquired  the  right 
to  do  so  without  being  taxed  with  presumption.  In  any 
case,  I  venture  to  say  that,  instead  of  the  fantastic  tales 
which  have  appeared,  nothing  but  "information  derived 
from  an  absolutely  authorised  source"  will  be  found  in 
the  following  pages.  In  writing  these  lines,  which  will 
not  appear  until  after  I  am  in  the  grave,  I  have  but  one 
ambition:  that  of  saying  the  truth,  all  the  truth;  and 
I  have  but  one  desire:  that  of  preventing  persons  from 
disfiguring,  for  their  own  pleasure  or  passion,  events 
with  which  I  have  been  closely  connected. 

On  December  28,  1825,  at  the  Chateau  of  Blowsky,  in 
the  region  of  Pilsna,  in  Bohemia,  there  was  bom  a  child 
with  a  big  head  and  a  feeble  body.  The  doctors  who 
had  been  summoned  to  his  bedside  shook  their  heads  in 
silence  and  declared  "that  he  had  a  weak  heart  and  was 
ill  formed,"  and,  consequently,  would  not  live.  The 
child's  mother  thereupon  decided  that  the  proper  thing 
to  do  was  to  have  him  baptised  without  delay.  And  so, 
on  December  29th,  while  the  snow  was  falling  heavily  and 

3 


4  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

a  strong  wind  was  carrying  off  a  peal  of  bells,  he  was 
conveyed  to  the  little  chapel  of  the  little  village  of 
Blowsky,  and  there  the  Reverend  Father  Wasck,  Arch- 
priest  of  the  parish,  administered  him  with  the  holy 
sacrament  of  baptism.  At  the  same  time,  on  the  old 
register  of  the  church,  which  contained  the  names  of  all 
his  ancestors,  from  Seigneur  Kaspar  de  Blowitz  of 
Palatine,  who  founded  the  village  school,  to  Seigneur 
Marc  Opper  de  Blowitz,  who  owned  the  ancient  chateau, 
he  entered  the  newborn  child  under  the  names  of  Henri- 
Georges-Stephan-Adolphe,  and  promised  to  say  a  mass 
in  order  that  God  might  allow  him  to  live. 

I  should  not  be  telling  the  truth  were  I  to  say  that  I 
recall  all  these  facts,  for  however  good  my  memory  may 
be  it  is  not  capable  of  that.  But  they  have  been  affirmed 
to  me  so  often  by  my  mother,  repeated  by  the  venerable 
Archpriest,  and  denied  by  the  Doctor,  that,  finally,  I 
am  absolutely  persuaded  they  are  true.  The  parish 
register  may,  however,  be  taken  as  evidence;  it  leaves 
no  doubt  as  to  my  having  been  bom  a  Catholic,  baptised 
twenty-four  hours  after  my  birth,  and  that  I  did  not 
have  time  to  become  a  Jew.  I  regret  it,  moreover — 
for  Israel 

Of  my  early  childhood  I  remember  but  little ;  the  few 
incidents  that  I  am  able  to  recall  do  not  appear  to  me 
worthy  of  being  rendered  public.  I  will  say,  however, 
one  thing.  When  I  was  six  years  of  age  but  little  was 
wanting — that  little  being  a  bridge  over  a  stream — ^for 
me  never  to  have  been  correspondent  of  The  Times. 
This  is  what  happened. 

One  summer  evening  there  was  nobody  at  home  in  the 
paternal  chateau.     My  father  was  away  hunting  in  the 


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THE    DE   RLOWITZ  FAMILY  TREE 


EARLY  YOUTH  5 

environs  with  some  of  his  lordly  friends,  and  my  mother 
was  absent.  I  was  playing  in  the  park,  when  at  a  turn 
of  the  road  ah  old,  worn-out  gypsy  cart  appeared  on  the 
scene.  It  was  drawn  by  an  emaciated  horse  and  driven 
by  a  sordid  old  woman  in  shreds.  A  pale  and  wretched- 
looking  man  followed.  In  the  vehicle  were  some  raggedly 
garbed  children,  among  them  being  a  little  girl  with  a 
beautifully  dressed  Polichinelle.  The  fact  is,  the  doll 
Pimch  was  altogether  too  beautifully  dressed. 

What  took  place  ?  Did  the  man  take  me  by  the  hand  ? 
Did  the  woman  speak  to  me?  I  have  forgotten,  but 
what  I  have  not  forgotten  is  the  attractive  Polichinelle 
and  its  bright  black  eyes.  Ten  minutes  afterward  I 
was  being  rolled  along  in  the  gypsy  cart.  I  had  been 
kidnapped.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  new  life  had  been 
suddenly  infused  into  the  emaciated  horse,  whose  pace 
was  quickened,  and  the  tired-looking  man  pushed  the 
cart  so  as  to  advance  faster. 

"If  you  are  a  good  boy,"  said  the  woman,  "we  will 
let  you  play  the  drum  and  blow  a  trumpet  all  the  time." 

And  in  order  to  give  me  an  advance  taste  of  these 
future  pleasures,  they  brought  out  from  the  back  of  the 
vehicle  an  old  box  which,  when  impacked,  was  found  to 
contain,  helter-skelter,  costumes,  drums,  wigs,  horns — 
all  things  that  I  had  greatly  admired  at  the  recent 
village  fete. 

"  Have  you  got  a  locket  on  you  ?"  was  a  question  asked 
me  by  the  young  girl  with  the  beautiful  black  eyes. 

I  answered  by  showing  her  a  small  gold  locket  hanging 
from  a  chain  round  my  neck  and  which  my  mother  had 
given  me. 

"All  right,"  she  said,  somewhat  sadly.     "Be  careful 


6  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

and  keep  it,  and  always  tell  everybody  that  your  mother 
placed  it  there.  I  have  one  also,  look — and  I  keep  it. 
But  my  mother  has  never  come  to  claim  me  yet." 

Our  ride  in  the  cart  continued  without  a  halt  for  five 
or  six  hours  and  we  must  have  covered  quite  a  respectable 
distance,  when  suddenly  far  away  in  the  silence  of  the 
forest  we  heard  shouts  and  the  soimds  of  hunting- 
horns. 

"  They  are  looking  for  us,"  said  the  woman. 

The  man  uttered  an  oath  and  whipped  the  horse. 
The  little  girl  with  the  black  eyes  grasped  my  hand  and 
in  a  very  low  voice  said  to  me : 

"It  is  better  it  should  be  thus.  It  is  preferable 
that  they  should  find  you.  You  do  not  know  what  is  in 
store  for  you  if  you  remain  with  us." 

I  was  very  much  amused  and  I  looked  about  and 
listened.  Evidently  at  the  chateau  my  absence  had 
been  remarked  and  they  were  looking  for  me. 

A  terrible  race  ensued.  The  horse  seemed  suddenly 
endowed  with  fresh  vigour,  as  if  he  were  conscious  of  the 
chase  that  was  in  progress  and  as  if  he  were  accustomed 
to  adventures  of  the  kind. 

The  old  gypsy  cart  jolted  noisily  over  the  stones  with 
which  the  road  was  strewn.  In  the  distance  the  sotmds 
of  the  horns  were  distinguishable,  first  a  long  way  off,  then 
nearer,  and  then  far  away  again.  Will  they  overtake 
us  ?     Will  they  not  overtake  us  ? 

Until  now  we  had  been  driving  along  one  solitary  road 
which  bruskly  ran  into  a  glade,  and  two  roads  appeared. 
Which  were  we  going  to  take  ?  The  one  on  the  right  or 
the  one  on  the  left?  The  man,  who  had  not  ceased 
swearing,  hesitated.     And  here  I  firmly  believe  my  fate 


EARLY  YOUTH  7 

was  settled.  If  he  had  taken  the  road  on  the  right  I  do 
not  know  where  I  should  have  been  at  this  hour. 

But  he  took  the  one  on  the  left,  which  led  us  down  a 
little  hill  toward  a  river.  After  another  mile  the  stream 
appeared,  but  there  was  no  bridge  across  it.  The  road 
went  no  farther.  As  we  reached  this  spot  the  horns  were 
blowing  louder  than  ever.  The  clamours  of  a  number 
of  men  on  horseback  could  be  heard  plainer  and  plainer. 
There  could  no  longer  be  any  doubt ;  they  were  in  pursuit 
and  about  to  overtake  us.  The  spare  man  and  the  ragged 
woman  and  the  wretched  children  certainly  understood 
what  was  going  on,  for  they  quickly  abandoned  horse, 
cart,  boxes  and  all  their  possessions  and  threw  themselves 
into  the  water,  swam  across,  and  two  minutes  later  could 
be  seen  nmning  away  at  full  speed  on  the  other  bank  of 
the  river. 

I  remained  alone  in  the  gypsy  cart,  alone  with  Polichi- 
nelle.  A  few  minutes  later  my  father,  for  he  was  among 
the  men  on  horseback,  found  us  lying  down  quietly  in 
the  rear  of  the  cart.  I  had  been  found.  I  was  taken 
back  home.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  said  anything 
to  Polichinelle,  but  I  do  know  that  they  said  something 
to  me.  And  I  also  know  very  well  that  if  the  gypsy  who 
had  kidnapped  me  had  taken  the  road  on  the  right,  which 
disappeared  in  the  mountain  mazes,  I  should  never  have 
been  found.  Que  diable!  What  should  I  have  been 
doing  now? 

•  •••••• 

The  above  episode  is  the  only  one  of  any  importance. 
All  the  reiAainder  is  monotonous.  I  never  went  to  school, 
much  less  to  any  imiversity.  My  yoimg  days  were 
spent  entirely  in  the  large  ancestral  chateau,  in  the  shade 


8  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

of  the  wild  forest.  I  read  and  worked  but  little.  I 
walked  a  great  deal.  My  memory,  which  all  my  lifetime 
has  been  my  powerful  and  precious  auxiliary,  was  formed 
almost  entirely  alone.  It  was  innate  and  natural.  It 
required  no  training. 

In  my  father's  room  there  used  to  be  an  enormous 
stick  with  a  gold  knob  which  I  always  admired  and 
envied.  Every  time  I  saw  it  I  used  to  ask  for  it ;  I  longed 
to  have  it  and  keep  it. 

One  day  my  father  said  to  me: 

"Listen,  I  will  give  you  this  stick  if  to-morrow  you 
recite  to  me  by  heart  the  legend  of  'Kosros  the  Wise.'  " 

That  was  a  way  of  getting  rid  of  me,  for  the  Hungarian 
legend  of  "Kosros  the  Wise"  is  quite  as  long  as 
Shakespeare's  "Hamlet,"  and  Sir  Henry  Irving  will  tell 
you  that  twenty-four  hours  constitute  a  very  short  time 
for  one  to  learn  "Hamlet." 

Nevertheless,  the  following  day  I  went  to  my  father's 
room,  and  without  a  mistake  or  hesitation  I  recited  to  him 
all  the  wonderful  legend,  from  the  day  when  the  daughter 
of  Kosros  chose  as  husband  Pryemilas,  a  mere  labourer, 
until  the  day  when  his  sister  Wlaska,  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  Amazons,  won,  with  the  aid  of  the  Czechs,  the 
battle  of  the  White  Moimtain. 

The  stick  with  the  gold  knob  became  my  property. 
I  did  not  keep  it.  But,  thank  Heaven,  I  kept  my 
memory. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  after  a  somewhat  rudimentary 
education  that,  nevertheless,  included  various  poetic 
legends,  which  I  learned  whenever  I  had  a  longing  for  some 
of  the  paternal  belongings,  my  father  decided  that  I  should 
travel.     He  supplied  me  with  money  and  gave  me  as 


EARLY  YOUTH  9 

companion  a  tutor  who  had  taken  his  degree  of  doctor 
of  philosophy.  I  started  out  one  morning  on  foot,  and 
was  soon  lost  in  the  distance,  en  route  for  unknown  parts. 

I  think  I  must  have  travelled  through  the  whole  of  the 
immense  Empire  of  Austria.  It  was  not,  at  that  time, 
what  civilisation  has  made  of  it  at  the  present  day.  In 
the  distant  or  frontier  provinces  superstition  and  fanati- 
cism reigned  supreme.  During  my  long  peregrinations  I 
had  some  striking  examples  of  both,  and  they  have  left 
on  my  mind  an  indelible  impression. 

Not  very  far  from  my  native  village  was  a  quiet  little 
coimtry  town  called  Gnmberg.  Any  travellers  who 
might  nowadays  venture  to  explore  this  little  out-of-the- 
world  nook  of  Bohemia  would  notice,  close  by  a  peaceful 
pool,  an  old  chturch,  an  odd  mixture  of  all  styles  of  archi- 
tecture. It  is  a  very  poor,  modest  little  church,  but  it 
possesses  a  life-size  statue  of  St.  John  in  massive  silver. 
Curiously  enough,  this  statue  has  only  one  arm,  and  one 
would  be  inclined  to  protest  against  this  willful  mutila- 
tion if  it  were  not  connected  with  a  strange  incident  of 
which  I  was  a  witness. 

The  day  after  I  had  left  my  father's  chateau  I  arrived 
at  Gnmberg  and  found  the  town  in  the  wildest  state 
of  excitement.  The  statue  of  St.  John  had  been  stolen 
a  week  before,  and  the  whole  country  was  searching 
for  it.  The  Bishop  of  Klattau  had  ordered  proces- 
sions in  all  the  neighbouring  districts,  and  every 
day  the  priest  of  St.  John's,  an  old  man,  but  upright  and 
of  commanding  appearance,  besought  his  parishioners 
to  tell  what  they  knew  of  the  theft. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  a  small  pool  which  is  near 
the  church.     This  pool  was  surrounded  by  a  bank,  which 


lo  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

was  very  steep  on  the  side  near  the  water ;  at  the  top  of 
which  was  a  narrow  path.  The  procession  was  about  to 
take  place  just  as  I  arrived,  and  in  order  to  reach  the  other 
side  of  the  pool  it  had  to  walk  for  about  two  hundred 
yards  along  this  narrow  path  at  the  top  of  the  bank. 

At  the  head  of  the  procession  was  the  old  priest,  pray- 
ing as  he  walked  along,  and  carrying  a  second  relic,  which 
was  almost  as  much  venerated  as  the  statue. 

Half-way  along  the  path — I  can  see  the  whole  scene 
distinctly — the  priest  stumbled  against  the  roots  of  a 
newly  planted  tree,  and  before  he  had  time  to  think  of 
saving  it,  the  cross  fell  from  his  hands,  glided  slowly  down 
the  bank  and  disappeared  in  the  muddy  waters  of  the  pool. 

All  the  people,  following  the  example  of  the  unfortunate 
priest,  fell  on  their  knees,  their  eyes  fixed  on  the  spot  in 
the  water  where  the  cross  had  disappeared. 

The  dam  was  at  once  opened  so  that  the  water  should 
not  carry  the  sacred  relic  away,  and  every  one  waited 
for  several  hours.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  to  the  delight 
of  all,  just  as  the  last  water  was  disappearing  through  the 
dam,  the  cross  was  seen.  And  by  the  side  of  the  cross 
was  the  statue — ^the  famous  silver  statue  of  St,  John. 

A  cry  of  joy  rang  through  the  air;  the  cross  and  the 
statue  were  taken  up,  and  it  was  then  that  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  left  arm  was  discovered.  The  thieves, 
whilst  waiting  for  an  opportunity  of  conveying  the 
statue  to  a  safe  place,  had  broken  off  this  arm,  which 
has  never  been  found. 

The  people,  singing  psalms  and  hymns  of  thanksgiving 
as  they  went  along,  repaired  to  the  church,  in  order  to 
replace  the  venerated  statue  on  the  pedestal  which  for 
the  last  week  had  been  deprived  of  its  sacred  burden. 


EARLY  YOUTH  ii 

Just  as  the  last  individual  was  entering  the  church  a 
part  of  the  archway  over  the  door  gave  way,  fell  straight 
on  the  shoulder  of  a  peasant  and  cut  off  his  left  arm. 

The  crowd  immediately  surrounded  the  wretched  man, 
yelling :  "  He's  the  thief  !  He's  the  thief  !  St.  John  has 
punished  him  by  cutting  off  his  arm  !  " 

There  was  a  terrible  rush  from  all  sides.  The  people 
attacked  the  peasant  and  in  a  moment  his  clothes  were 
all  in  shreds.  They  were  about  to  drag  him  along  and 
hurl  him  into  the  pool  without  having  asked  him 
a  question,  or  without  even  hesitating  as  to  whether 
or  not  he  were  the  real  author  of  the  theft,  when  the 
old  priest  interfered. 

"I,  alone,  have  the  right  to  command  here,"  he  said. 
**  Do  not  touch  that  man." 

The  crowd  fell  back  a  little  and  the  priest  continued: 
"You  are  in  my  church,"  he  said,  addressing  himself  to 
the  peasant,  "and  this  is  an  inviolable  and  sacred  place. 
No  one  has  a  right  to  touch  you  here.  Stay  inside  the 
church  and  do  not  leave  it,  for  once  outside  you  belong 
to  human  justice." 

And  the  mutilated  peasant  remained  there.  He  was 
in  the  church  all  day  and  all  night,  and  he  was  still  there 
the  following  day  when  I  left  Grunberg. 

Five  years  later,  when  my  voyage  through  Europe  was 
accomplished,  as  I  passed  through  Grunberg  on  my  way 
to  my  native  village,  I  saw,  at  the  door  of  St.  John's 
Church,  an  old  man  who  had  lost  his  left  arm.  He  was 
on  his  knees  at  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary,  which 
he  had  never  dared  to  leave,  lest  he  should  be  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  people. 

This  incident  shows  the  superstition  which  then  reigned 


12  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

in  certain  Austrian  provinces.  The  following  episode 
will  show  the  fanaticism  which  was  dominant. 

One  evening  after  a  long  journey  I  reached,  with  my 
travelling  companion,  the  Croatian  frontier.  A  drea-ry- 
looking  rough  road  stretched  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see 
alongside  the  mountain,  and  poles  were  placed  on  the 
roadside  at  intervals,  just  as  in  France  the  telegraph 
poles  are  seen  forming  a  straight  line  along  the  banks  of 
a  road. 

At  the  top  of  these  poles  human  heads  had  been  fixed, 
and  I  shuddered  with  horror  on  discovering  that  as  far  as 
one  could  see  there  were  these  poles  and  these  heads. 
There  had  been  a  revolt  the  week  before,  and  the  Governor 
of  the  district,  who  had  proved  victorious,  had  decided 
to  make  an  example  and  to  inspire  the  population  with 
wholesome  fear. 

This  Governor  I  can  see  distinctly  now.  I  was  dining 
that  evening  with  my  tutor  in  a  wretched  little  inn,  on 
the  very  borders  of  the  frontier,  when  he  came  back  from 
his  expedition.  He  was  a  sort  of  bashi-bazouk,  with 
a  hooked  nose,  long,  fair  mustache,  and  a  face  with  a 
hard  expression.  He  had  three  escorts,  the  com- 
manders of  each  of  which  appeared  to  hate  each  other. 

I  could  not  resist  asking  him,  later  on,  when  he  was 
sitting  next  to  me  at  table,  why  he  had  three  escorts. 

"The  first  one,"  he  answered,  "keeps  watch  on  the 
second,  and  the  third  prevents  the  other  two  from  coming 
to  any  tmderstanding  with  each  other."  This  will  give 
an  idea  of  the  social  position  of  a  governor  of  Croatia  in 
the  first  half  of  the  last  century. 

After  supper,  while  the  Governor  was  smoking  a  long 
pipe  and  the  officers  of  the  escort  were  playing  at  dice, 


EARLY  YOUTH  13 

we  heard,  outside,  issuing  from  the  darkness,  a  dismal  cry 
followed  by  shouts,  disputes  and  fighting.  The  officers 
left  their  dice,  and  the  Governor,  mechanically,  put  his 
hand  to  his  belt,  from  which  his  sword  was  hanging. 

Upon  inquiry  we  found  it  was  nothing  of  importance; 
merely  a  woman,  a  kind  of  forttme-teller,  who  was  going 
along  the  road  when  the  bashi-bazouks  of  the  escort 
had  set  upon  her.  The  Governor  ordered  them  to  bring 
her  in  so  that  she  could  tell  our  fortunes.  We  each  of 
us  showed  her  our  hand  and  she  proceeded  to  foretell  the 
future.  I  remember  the  scene  with  the  most  astonishing 
distinctness.  In  the  smoky  room  with  its  low  ceiling, 
near  to  the  fire,  which  was  nearly  out,  the  poor  creature 
was  intent  on  the  lines  of  our  palms,  and  in  a  slow,  monot- 
onous voice  she  told  us  her  rigmarole. 

When  she  came  to  mine,  though,  she  suddenly  became 
more  animated,  and  her  dull  eyes  lighted  up  a  little. 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed,  "I've  never  seen  a  hand  like 
yours.     There's  a  fine  fate  in  store  for  you." 

"What  is  it?"  I  asked. 

"You'll  sit  down  with  kings  and  have  princes  at  your 
table."  She  did  not  tell  me  any  more,  but  that  was 
quite  enough,  and  all  night  long  I  dreamed  of  nothing 
but  conquests  and  kingdoms.  I  tried  to  imagine  all  the 
situations  which  would  allow  me  to  sit  down  with 
sovereigns,  but  I  never  thought  of  the  only  one  which 
could  ever  enable  the  prophecy  to  come  true. 

This  voyage  was  to  last  five  years,  and  five  years  it 
lasted.  I  went  through  Germany,  Russia,  Austria,  Italy 
and  Switzerland.  The  most  tragic  part  of  it  was  the 
return  home. 


14  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

I  was  just  twenty  years  of  age,  and  when  I  approached 
my  native  village  all  the  memories  of  my  childhood 
crowded  to  my  mind.  One  learns  a  great  many  things 
in  a  five-years'  journey  through  the  world,  and  one  for- 
gets much  also  very  quickly.  Suddenly,  at  a  turn  in  the 
road,  flanked  by  the  mountain,  the  Chateau  of  Blowksy 
came  in  sight,  and  I  do  not  know  how  it  was,  but  as 
soon  as  I  saw  its  old,  cracked  fagade,  so  gloomy  and 
dismal-looking,  as  soon  as  I  glanced  at  its  dark,  mys- 
terious tower,  a  sort  of  presentiment  took  possession 
of  me. 

I  hurried  on  and  soon  reached  the  park.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  everything  looked  neglected  and  rather  de- 
serted. The  grass  was  long,  and  the  meadows  appeared 
to  be  untended.  I  pushed  the  door  open,  and  a  cry 
rang  through  the  house.     It  was  my  mother. 

"Where  is  father?"  I  asked  anxiously. 

"Here  he  is,"  she  replied;  and,  seated  by  the  fire  in  the 
large  dining-room,  I  saw  him,  but  he  was  so  changed  that  I 
scarcely  recognised  him. 

When  the  first  excitement  of  my  arrival  was  over  he 
began  to  question  me. 

"Did  not  you  see  any  one  before  you  reached  the 
house?"  he  asked. 

"No  one,"  I  replied. 

"And  you  do  not  know  all  that  has  happened  here  since 
you  left?" 

"I  know  nothing,"  I  answered. 

My  father's  voice  trembled  slightly  as  he  told  me. 
It  was  a  very  ordinary,  every-day  story.  The  fortime 
of  the  whole  family  was  lost.  A  notary  with  whom  the 
greater  part  of  our  money  had  been  left  had  risked  it 


EARLY  YOUTH  15 

in  speculations  which  had  turned  out  badly,  and  to  sum 
up  the  matter  briefly,  we  were  ruined. 

"You'll  have  to  work  for  your  living,"  said  my  father 
in  conclusion,  I  do  not  know  why,  but  the  thought  of 
the  gypsy  woman  whom  I  had  seen  at  the  Croatian 
frontier  suddenly  crossed  my  mind,  and  I  remembered 
her  prediction.  I  did  not  appear  at  all  discouraged; 
on  the  contrary,  I  smiled  as  I  answered  my  father. 

"All  right,"  I  said,  "don't  you  worry  yourself  about 
me.  I  shall  be  able  to  earn  a  living." 

"What  do  you  think  of  doing?"  he  asked. 

"I  shall  start  to-morrow  for  France,  and  from  there  go 
to  America.  A  year  ago,  when  I  was  in  Genoa,  I  made 
the  acquaintance  of  one  of  the  leading  industrial  men  of 
Ohio.  He  offered  me  a  situation  in  a  big  agricultural 
affair  out  there,  I  refused,  but  I  shall  go  to  him  now, 
and  I  am  certain  he  will  give  me  employment." 

"That's  right,"  said  my  father;  "I  see  that  you  have 
plenty  of  determination."  The  evening,  however,  was 
very  sad,  and  that  night  was  the  last  I  spent  in  my  father's 
house.  Life  was  before  me,  full  of  chance  and  unexpected 
things.  I  did  not  fear  anything,  but  bravely  decided  to 
venture  forth.  The  farewell  moment  was  even  more  sad 
than  the  evening  had  been.  My  mother  was  in  tears, 
and  my  father,  who  was  very  pale,  stood  on  the  terrace 
imtil  I  was  out  of  siglit. 

"Good-by,"  I  said,  and  my  last  words  were,  "Perhaps 
you  will  never  see  me  again,  but  I  hope  you  will  hear 
something  about  me." 

And  I  plunged  into  the  unknown — into  life. 

•  •  •  •  •  •  • 

A  few  weeks  later  I  arrived  at  Angiers,  in  France,  on 


i6  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

the  banks  of  the  Loire,  on  my  way  to  Havre,  where  I 
intended  to  embark  for  America. 

I  travelled  in  what  the  French  call  a  "diligence," 
which  was  merely  a  horrible  carriage,  badly  built,  badly 
appointed,  and  with  wretched  horses.  If  modem 
civilisation  had  done  nothing  but  give  us  railways 
instead  of  the  diligence,  it  would  deserve  the  gratitude 
of  all  human  beings — I  mean,  of  course,  of  all  human 
beings  who  travel. 

My  particular  diligence  went  along  that  wonderful 
and  admirable  road  which  all  English  and  Americans 
who  have  visited  France  know  so  well,  and  which  skirts 
the  bank  of  the  Loire.  It  started  from  Tours,  passed 
through  Anglers,  and  was  to  go  on  to  Nantes.  At 
Nantes  I  intended  travelling  by  water  to  Havre,  where 
I  hoped  to  embark  for  the  United  States. 

As  we  entered  the  chief  street  of  Anglers  some- 
thing occurred  which  was  destined  to  influence  my 
whole  career.  This  was  the  second  incident  which 
decided  my  fate  in  life.  The  first  was  the  wrong  road 
which  the  gypsies,  who  had  kidnapped  me,  took  to 
cross  the  river.  This  second  incident  happened  in 
driving  over  the  paving-stones  of  Anglers  when  the 
diligence  gave  such  jolts  that  the  stem  of  my  pipe 
broke  between  my  teeth. 

My  first  care  in  getting  out  of  the  conveyance  was,  of 
course,  to  rush  to  a  shop  for  a  new  stem.  I  had  scarcely 
finished  this  most  prosaic  transaction  when,  on  leaving  the 
shop,  I  knocked  up  against  a  tall,  slight  man,  with  hair 
just  turning  gray,  who  happened  to  be  coming  in.  I 
apologised,  but  the  gentleman,  after  gazing  at  me  intently, 
suddenly  exclaimed: 


II 


EARLY  YOUTH  17' 

"Why,  upon  my  word,  I  think  I  recognise  you.  Are 
you  not  young  Blowitz?" 

"Certainly." 

"Don't  you  remember  me?" 

"Not  at  all." 

"I  saw  you  five  or  six  years  ago  at  your  father's 
chateau.  I  am  Count  Kolowrath,  an  old  friend  of  your 
family." 

I  remembered  now  having  seen  the  Count  in  days 
gone  by,  and  I  recognised  him.  We  talked  together  a  few 
minutes,  and  I  told  him  the  sad  events  that  had  taken 
place  at  our  home  in  Bohemia.  He  took  the  greatest 
interest  in  my  story,  and  insisted  on  my  letting  the 
diligence  continue  its  journey  without  me,  and  delaying 
my  departure  for  a  day.  He  was  only  passing  through 
Anglers  and  lived  in  Paris,  where  he  was  very  intimate 
with  all  the  political  men  of  the  day. 

The  result  of  our  meeting  was  that  I  did  not  start  for 
America  the  next  day,  nor  yet  the  day  after,  nor  even 
the  week  after,  but  I  went  with  him  to  Paris. 

Serious  events  were  then  taking  place  there.  A 
republic — the  Republic  of  1848 — had  succeeded  the 
monarchy  of  King  Louis  Philippe.  I  was  too  much 
interested  in  all  that  was  going  on,  too  much  taken  up 
by  this  political  fevef ,  by  this  overthrowing  of  a  govern- 
ment and  by  this  destruction  of  old-established  institu- 
tions, to  think  of  going  to  America.  I  remained  in 
Paris,  and  I  observed  what  was  happening  around  me. 

I  must  now  make  a  confession  to  my  readers.  Nature, 
cities  and  countries  have  never  had  much  attraction  for 
me.  The  stone  facades  of  houses,  picture  galleries,  the 
sculpture  of  public  buildings  and  monuments,  the  clever 


.i8  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

arrangement  of  gardens,  all  these  things  have  very 
rarely  captured  my  attention.  That  which  appeals  to  me 
and  which  I  am  always  searching  for  is  the  soul  which 
is  concealed  behind  the  silent  immobility  of  things — it  is 
life  and  movement  which  interest  me.  I  have  spent  hours 
contemplating  a  crowd,  studying  its  agitation,  taking 
note  of  its  continual  motion.  And  what  life,  what 
movement,  what  a  crowd  there  was,  there  before  me,  in 
this  Paris,  which  is  the  brain  of  one  of  the  leading  countries 
of  the  world,  and  toward  which  came  ebbing  all  the 
passions,  all  the  anger,  all  the  aspirations  of  a  whole 
race  and  of  a  whole  nation  ! 

Coimt  Kolowrath  did  not  abandon  me,  but  introduced 
me  to  some  of  the  influential  French  persons  with  whom 
he  was  on  friendly  terms.  Among  the  ntmiber  were 
M.  Thiers  and  M.  de  Falloux,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
destined  to  have  such  an  admirable  career  as  a  statesman, 
and  who  was  the  veritable  organiser  of  Public  Instruction 
in  France.  M.  de  Falloux  was  very  curious  about  men 
and  things  in  foreign  lands;  he  always  talked  willingly 
with  me,  and  he  invited  me  to  private  literary  gatherings, 
at  which  lectures  were  given  on  the  most  varied  subjects. 
One  day  I  received  from  M.  de  Falloux  an  invitation  card 

on  which  were  the  following  words :     "  M "  (a  name 

which  I  have  forgotten)  "will  speak  on  literature  in 
Germany  and  Provence."  I  went  to  this  soiree  and,  on 
arriving,  I  foimd  M.  de  Falloux,  usually  so  calm  and  so 
reserved,  in  a  great  state  of  excitement  and  nervousness. 

I  inquired  what  was  the  matter. 

M.  de  Falloux  told  me  that  his  lecturer  had  not  yet 
arrived  and  that  he  feared  he  would  not  now  come. 

"I  am  very  much  annoyed,"  he  said,  "as  several  of 


EARLY  YOUTH  19 

my  guests  had  been  looking  forward  to  hearing  him 
discuss  this  question,  and  I  fear  they  will  be  disappointed." 

An  idea  flashed  through  my  mind.  "Why  not  get 
some  one  immediately  to  take  the  lecturer's  place?" 
I  suggested. 

"That  would  not  be  very  easy,"  replied  M.  de 
Falloux. 

"Will  you  let  me  try?"  I  asked.  "I  know  very  little 
about  Provence,  or,  to  speak  frankly,  I  don't  know 
anything  at  all,  but  I  am  very  well  up  in  German  literature 
and  I  would  do  my  utmost  not  to  bore  your  guests." 

M.  de  Falloux  smiled ;  he  was  very  much  amused. 

"  Agreed,"  he  said,  "  and  I  am  very  much  obliged." 

Five  minutes  later,  with  plenty  of  assurance,  I  was 
discussing  German  literature  and  its  connection  with  the 
literature  of  Provence.  I  compared,  quoted  and  analysed 
examples.  I  was  witty,  evidently,  for  my  audience 
laughed  a  great  deal;  and  I  was  even  eloquent,  for  I 
was  applauded. 

When  I  had  finished  a  lady  approached  me  and  in  the 
most  affected  way  said:  "Oh,  monsieur,  there  are, 
perhaps,  several  things  to  find  fault  with  in  what  you  say 
about  German  literature,  but  all  that  you  said  about 
the  literature  of  Provence  was  perfect.  One  can  see 
how  thoroughly  you  know  that  country." 

M.  de  Falloux,  who  was  standing  near,  burst 
out  laughing,  and  then,  shaking  hands,  thanked  me 
heartily  and,  drawing  me  aside,  said:  "What  an 
admirable  lecturer  on  foreign  literature  you  would 
make!" 

"If  ever  you  become  Minister,"  I  answered,  "I  will 
take  you  at  your  word,  and  ask  you  for  a  professorship." 


20  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"Agreed,"  he  said;  "yours  shall  be  the  first  appoint- 
ment I  make." 

And  it  happened  as  he  had  said,  for  M.  de  Falloux, 
on  becoming  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  appointed 
the  yoimg  man,  who  had  been  seen  having  his  pipe 
mended  in  one  of  the  shops  of  Angiers,  to  a  professorship 
of  foreign  literature  in  that  very  city. 

I  was  not  destined  to  stay  very  long  in  Angiers,  though, 
nor  in  the  University.  In  1856  I  was  appointed  to  the 
chair  of  foreign  literature  at  Marseilles.  It  was  there  that 
I  met  the  lady  who  became  my  wife,  and  who,  as  the 
companion  of  my  life  for  thirty-five  years,  was  with  me 
always,  through  good  and  through  evil  days.  She  was 
French,  and  her  father,  M.  Amaud  d'Agnel  had  been 
Paymaster  in  the  Navy;  her  imcle  on  her  father's  side 
had  been  a  Brigadier.  Her  mother  belonged  to  an  old 
aristocratic  family  of  the  Var,  and  her  maternal  tmcle  was 
connected  with  the  Bourbon  family. 

Our  marriage  took  place  in  1858,  and  it  was  not  until 
twelve  years  later  that  I  embraced  the  career  which  was 
to  be  the  veritable  passion  of  my  life. 

Some  of  these  twelve  years  were  spent  in  commercial 
affairs,  for  I  had  always  had  the  mania  of  believing 
myself  very  clever  in  mechanics.  I  had  invented  a 
machine  for  combing  flax  at  great  speed.  I  began  by 
buying  a  workshop  large  enough  to  hold  the  machine, 
and  the  next  thing  I  did  was  to  have  the  said  machine 
constructed,  at  great  expense. 

When  everything  was  ready  I  gave  a  big  f^te,  in 
order  to  celebrate  the  success  of  my  invention. 
Every  one  came  for  miles  round,  and  more  than  a 
thousand  persons  were  present.     They  all  congratiilated 


MADAME    D]i,    BLOWITZ 
From  a  photograph  made  during  the  last  year  of  her  Ute 


EARLY  YOUTH  21 

me,  drank  champagne,  looked  at  the  machine,  and 
admired  it. 

When  the  reception  was  over,  the  guests  gone  and  the 
champagne  glasses  empty,  I  thought  the  moment  had 
arrived  for  trying  the  machine  and  setting  it  in  motion. 

As  everything  was  ready  and  the  steam  up,  I  said 
to  the  engineer:  "Go!"  and  I  myself  turned  the 
tap  which  was  to  set  it  in  motion.  There  was  imme- 
diately a  most  formidable  detonation.  Everything 
blew  up  in  the  air,  the  window  panes  were  all  broken, 
and  I  was  thrown  violently  down,  whilst  a  great  iron 
bolt  struck  my  forehead. 

I  was  picked  up  for  dead,  and  it  was  owing  to  my 
wife's  nursing  that  I  was  able  to  get  about  again  three 
weeks  later,  cured  of  my  wound,  and  still  more  effectually 
cured  of  my  industrial  inventions.  Never  from  that  time 
forth  have  I  attempted  to  set  any  machinery  in  motion. 

It  is  with  this  incident  that  my  reminiscences  of  early 
youth  come  to  an  end.  It  has  required  a  certain  effort 
on  my  part  to  recall  them,  first,  because  I  do  not  care 
to  dwell  on  those  far-off  days  of  the  past,  and,  secondly, 
because  I  have  been  obliged  to  put  myself  constantly  in 
the  foreground,  instead  of  speaking  about  the  events 
with  which  I  have  been  connected  and  the  men  with 
whom  I  have  come  in/contact. 

In  my  next  chapter  I  shall  endeavour  to  retrace  some 
of  these  events,  and  describe  some  of  these  men,  who, 
one  and  all,  belong  to  the  history  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

But,  such  as  they  are,  without  order  and  without 
coherence,  the  few  lines  I  have  written  may  at  least  have 
a  certain  philosophical  value.     They  will  show  that  great 


22  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

results  may  sometimes  spring  from  very  slight  causes, 
and  that  in  order  to  become  a  journalist  of  note  in  the 
world  very  Httle  is  often  all  that  is  required — just 
a  pipe  to  break  at  the  right  moment  on  a  journey. 


CHAPTER  II 
How  I  Became  a  Journalist 

In  1869,  the  second  French  Empire  was  beginning  to 
show  signs  of  yielding  to  the  numerous  and  combined 
assaults  of  the  liberal  opposition.  When  a  throne  has 
been  seized  by  a  bold  stroke,  when  it  has  been  retained  by 
repression,  when  the  hold  over  the  country  is  dependent 
on  the  docile  vote  of  the  unthinking  masses,  there  can 
be  no  abandonment  of  the  absolute  prerogatives  the 
ruler  has  bestowed  on  himself.  The  slightest  concession 
becomes  a  weapon  in  the  hands  of  the  assailant,  and 
the  autocratic  fortress  only  remains  impregnable  so  long 
as  no  breach  can  be  made. 

In  1869  the  torrent  of  the  opposition  had  been  dashing 
for  seventeen  years  against  the  foundations  of  the  Second 
Empire,  and  the  attentive  eye  could  already  discover 
some  of  the  breaches  that  were  being  made  in  the  fortifica- 
tions which  surrounded  the  throne  of  Napoleon  III.  At 
Paris,  however,  the  central  power  remained  under  great 
illusions,  and  played' with  the  fire  of  liberal  reform.  In 
the  provinces,  on  the  contrary,  the  representatives  of 
the  Government  felt  that  their  power  was  diminishing. 
They  were  constantly  colliding  with  audacious  oppo- 
nents, and  in  consequence  of  the  opposition  they  met 
they  became  more  overbearing,  more  tyrannical,  and, 
for    that    very    reason,  more   unpopular.      From   this 

23 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

syllogistic  circle  there  was  no  retreat  or  escape  except 
by  revolution  or  reaction. 

For  many  years  I  had  now  been  living  at  Marseilles. 
I  had  married,  as  I  told  my  readers  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  a  lad}^,  a  native  of  the  great  southern  French 
city.  But  at  that  time  I  was  not  yet  naturalised,  and  I 
considered  it  almost  a  duty  to  stand  aloof  from  the 
domestic  politics  of  France.  Nevertheless,  as  my  marriage 
inevitably  brought  me  into  contact  with  certain  persons, 
I  was  supposed  by  everybody  to  belong  to  the  Legitimist 
party,  at  the  time  militant  aroimd  me. 

The  elections  of  1869  were  close  at  hand.  It  was 
apparent  that  the  contest  would  be  a  violent  one  in  the 
extreme.  All  sides  were  preparing  for  the  fight.  The 
opposition  formed  a  league  called  "The  Liberal  Union," 
within  which  there  was  room  made  for  the  three  parties 
— the  Legitimists,  the  Orleanists,  and  the  Democrats. 
The  Government  did  what  it  could  to  strengthen  its  posi- 
tion. It  reinforced  its  Prefects;  it  decorated  with  the 
Legion  of  Honour  its  chief  political  supporters,  and 
dismissed  auxiliaries  of  whom  it  was  not  sure.  In  the 
great  centres  it  established  newspapers  to  all  appearances 
violently  democratic,  but  the  real  purpose  of  which  was  to 
sow  dissension  among  the  parties  forming  the  Liberal 
Union. 

During  the  day  the  editors  or  their  staff  wrote  articles 
denouncing  the  Empire  and  the  Royalist  party.  At 
night  these  same  journalists  repaired  to  the  Prefectures 
to  receive  their  instructions. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  throughout  France  and 
more  especially  at  Marseilles.  In  that  city  the  candi- 
dature of  M.  de  Lesseps,  in  opposition  to  M.  Thiers  and 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  25 

M.  Gambetta,  was  very  popular,  Gambetta  and  his 
pretensions  were  made  the  siibject  of  endless  jokes  and 
laughter  on  the  part  of  the  pseudo-democratic  official 
press.  M.  de  Lessep's  candidature  was  represented  as 
quite  independent.  Therein  resided  his  only  chance 
of  success,  for  if  there  had  been  a  suspicion  that  it  was 
official,  his  position  would  have  been  irremediably 
compromised. 

Strange  to  say,  I  was  the  man  who  almost  unwittingly 
dealt  the  fatal  blow  to  his  chances.  Even  at  this  time  of 
my  life  the  uncontrollable  desire  to  get  at  the  bottom 
of  sensational  reports  haunted  me.  While  it  was  strongly 
suspected  at  Marseilles  that  M.  de  Lesseps  was  an  official 
candidate,  and  while  the  Government  was  making  every 
effort  to  prove  the  contrary,  one  of  my  friends  had  gone 
to  Egypt.  I  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  him.  In 
writing  to  me  he  recounted  with  much  detail  incidents 
which  threw  a  strong  light  on  the  whole  subject.  An 
orderly  officer  of  the  Emperor  had  arrived  in  Egypt. 
A  special  train  was  placed  at  his  disposal  by  Ismail 
Pasha.  This  officer  lost  no  time  in  posting  on  to  M.  de 
Lesseps.  At  the  urgent  request,  and  in  compliance 
with  an  almost  formal  order,  of  the  Emperor,  the  construc- 
tor of  the  Suez  Canal,  who,  as  such,  had  already  become 
popular,  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  Marseilles. 

Without  considering  the  consequences,  I  lost  no  time 
in  communicating  this  information  to  one  of  my  friends 
— the  editor  of  a  Legitimist  newspaper.  The  news  burst 
like  a  tempest  on  the  public  of  Marseilles,  and  swept  away 
in  its  irresistible  whirl  the  candidature  of  M.  de  Lesseps. 

The  very  next  day  the  Socialist  newspaper,  in  obedience 
to  orders,  made  an  incredibly  violent  attack  on  me.     I 


26  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

was  terrified  at  what  I  had  done.  I  was  somewhat  in  the 
position  of  an  elephant  from  whose  back  a  cannon  has  been 
discharged,  and  which  first  feels  the  shock  without  know- 
ing whence  it  comes.  I  was  a  foreigner  without  protection, 
at  the  mercy  of  a  Government  still  feared.  My  friends 
begged  me  to  take  no  notice  of  the  abominable  calumnies 
directed  against  me  by  the  sham-democratic  newspaper, 
which  for  years  afterward  was  the  source  of  the  abuse 
poured  upon  me.  I  was  simple-minded  enough  to  bring 
an  action  against  it  in  the  law  courts.  I  won  my  case, 
but  by  that  time  the  newspaper  had  ceased  to  appear,  and 
the  editor,  as  a  reward  for  his  electioneering  services, 
had  obtained  the  post  of  Sub-Prefect  in  an  out-of-the-way 
district  of  the  Basses-Alpes. 

In  the  election,  M.  de  Lesseps  had  the  support  of  a 
wretched  minority;  and  it  was  M.  Gambetta  who,  to  the 
surprise  of  everybody,  was  returned  by  a  majority  of  two 
to  one. 

He  entered  the  Corps  Legislatif  triumphantly.  The 
journal  and  its  editor  disappeared,  but  the  defeated 
Prefect  survived,  and  it  was  on  me  that  he  sought  to 
avenge  himself. 

In  a  long  report,  which  I  have  since  been  able  to  peruse, 
he  applied  for  my  expulsion  from  France.  Scarcely  an 
hour  after  it  was  written  he  saw  my  wife  in  the  street, 
and  was  not  ashamed  to  hold  out  to  her  the  very  hand 
which  had  just  signed  that  miserable  denimciation.  The 
same  evening  I  was  informed  of  the  fact,  and  hurried  off 
to  Paris  to  ward  off  its  consequences. 

M.  Thiers,  whom  I  had  met  very  often  on  my  arrival  in 
France  at  the  house  of  M.  de  Falloux  and  at  Count  Kolow- 
rath's,  took  the  matter  in  hand,  and  the  demand  for  my 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  27 

expulsion  was  put  aside.  My  friends  advised,  nay, 
besought  me  to  leave  Marseilles,  and  toward  the  end  of 
1869  I  followed  their  advice  and  retired  to  a  small 
estate  in  the  Drome,  near  Valence. 

Such  was  my  first  experience  in  journalism,  and  it 
might  easily  have  caused  me  to  abandon  the  career. 

I  lived  for  some  months  in  my  retreat,  and  to  pass  the 
time  I  read  a  great  deal,  not  only  books  but  newspapers 
of  France,  Germany  and  northern  Europe.  I  had  nothing 
else  to  do. 

When  the  Hohenzollem  question  came  up,  I  wrote 
regularly  to  M.  Thiers,  giving  him  the  news  which  reached 
me.  He  continued  to  show  me  great  good-will.  I 
knew  that  since  the  hurried  conclusion  of  peace  between 
Prussia  and  Austria,  in  1866,  the  Germans  expected  a 
conflict  with  France,  and  were  preparing  for  it.  I  knew 
that  the  southern  States  of  Germany  were  under  the 
watchful  and  suspicious  surveillance  of  Prussia,  and  I 
also  knew  that  if  there  should  be  war  the  result  would 
cruelly  disappoint  the  hopes  of  France.  I  never  ceased 
writing  to  this  effect,  and  bringing  facts  confirming  my 
opinions  to  the  knowledge  of  M.  Thiers,  whose  own 
experience  had  led  him  to  similar  conclusions. 

When  the  war  broke  out  I  contemplated  with  terror, 
from  my  retreat,  the  complete  and  fatal  ignorance  preva- 
lent in  France,  and  the  false  feeling  of  security  which 
was  to  be  so  promptly  and  terribly  dispelled. 

One  piece  of  disastrous  news  rapidly  followed  another — 
Reichshofen;  Spiekem;  the  abandonment  of  the  first 
lines  of  defense;  the  retreat;  the  admitted  want  of  food, 
arms  and  supplies;  the  telegrams  of  MacMahon,  "I  am 
defeated;  send  me  supplies";  and  lastly,  the  astounding 


28  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

despatch  from  Napoleon  III.:  "We  have  been  sur- 
prised in  the  very  act  of  forming.  The  enemy  had  also 
mitrailleuses."  All  this  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  future 
toward  which  France  was  drifting. 

On  September  2nd  came  the  disaster  of  Sedan,  immedi- 
ately followed  by  the  fall  of  the  Empire. 

The  Republic  was  proclaimed. 

As  soon  as  the  new  regime  began  to  work  I  applied  for 
my  naturalisation  papers.  My  request  was  complied  with. 
Some  weeks  later  I  became  a  French  citizen,  and  I 
received,  at  the  time,  a  letter  from  M.  Adolphe  Cremieux, 
then  Minister  of  Justice,  which  ran  as  follows : 

"Your  application  for  naturalisation,  in  the  midst  of 
our  great  disasters  appears  to  me  as  the  signal  of  a  new 
Hfe  for  us.  A  country  which,  in  the  midst  of  such 
catastrophes,  recruits  citizens  like  you  is  not  to  be 
despaired  of." 

As  always  happens,  having  been  persecuted  by  the 
Empire,  I  was  now  ranked  in  the  now  dominant  party, 
and  those  who  had  stood  aloof  from  me  now  showed 
a  great  desire  to  be  on  better  terms  with  me. 

I  returned  to  Marseilles. 

I  found  that  city  in  a  lamentable  and  grotesque  state 
of  anarchy.  Numerous  associations  had  been  hastily 
formed  under  the  pretext  of  making  the  Germans  with- 
draw from  France.  One  of  the  leaders  had  proclaimed 
himself  Commissary  of  the  Government.  He  had 
recruited  into  a  noisy  and  discontented,  but  purely 
home-abiding  guard,  all  the  "foaming  dregs"  of  Christo- 
phanes.     From  that  element  of  roughs,  rowdies,  loafers, 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  29 

lie  drew  the  pretorian  group  who  surrounded  him  and 
by  means  of  whom  he  terrorised  the  city. 

Toward  the  latter  days  of  March,  187 1,  the  situation 
became  alarming.  The  Commune  was  proclaimed  on 
the  23rd,  five  days  after  its  official  announcement  in  Paris. 
A  grotesque  and  lamentable  state  of  anarchy  prevailed. 
The  revolutionary  forces  took  possession  of  the  Prefecture. 

The  enemies  of  order  flocked  in  from  foreign  countries, 
and  terrorists  from  all  parts  of  the  world  seemed  to  have 
congregated  in  the  town. 

As  I  had  now  become  a  naturalised  Frenchman,  I  felt 
it  my  duty  to  assist  my  adopted  country  as  well  as  I 
could,  and  I  offered  my  services  to  General  Espivent  de 
la  Villeboisnet,  who  had  been  entrusted  with  the  difficult 
task  of  restoring  order. 

The  post  and  telegraph  office  had  been  seized  by  the 
Revolutionists.  They  suppressed  every  suspected  letter; 
Ihey  retained  every  telegram  which  might  have  informed 
the  regular  Government  at  Versailles  of  the  frightful 
state  of  affairs  prevailing  in  the  great  southern  city. 

I  had  just  let  a  fiat,  in  a  house  belonging  to  my  wife, 
to  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company,  which  had  a  special 
wire  to  Oran.  I  had  a  private  interview  with  the  local 
manager  of  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company,  and  obtained 
from  him  permission  to  make  a  junction  between  his  wire 
and  that  of  the  Versailles  Government.  Then  one 
night,  when  the  insurgent  officials  at  the  Marseilles 
post-office  thought  they  had  entire  control  of  the  wires, 
I  threw  a  ladder  from  a  neighbouring  house,  reached  by 
the  roofs  the  offices  of  the  Eastern  Telegraph  Company, 
and  opened  a  secret  and  direct  comm\niication  with  the 
•outside  world. 


so  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

The  Lyons  office  replied  to  me,  and  put  me  in  commimi- 
cation  with  Versailles. 

I  immediately  informed  the  Government  of  the  doings 
of  the  Commimists. 

M.  Thiers  fully  realised  the  danger.  If  the  Commune 
tritmiphed  in  Marseilles,  the  whole  of  the  south  of  France 
would  rise  against  his  Government. 

Accordingly,  in  reply  to  my  first  telegram,  M.  Thiers 
gave  orders  to  the  effect  that  General  Espivent  de  la 
Villeboisnet  must  at  any  price  restore  order  in  the  town. 

Two  days  later,  on  April  5th,  the  regular  troops,  which 
had  been  concentrated  at  Aubagne,  near  Marseilles,  burst 
into  the  town  and  recaptured  the  Prefecture,  which  had 
become  the  headquarters  of  the  insurgents. 

I  need  not  enter  here  into  the  details  of  that  terrible 
day.  Everybody  did  his  duty,  and  I  was,  I  trust,  no 
exception  to  the  rule.  Be  this  as  it  may,  twenty-four 
hours  later  the  battle  was  won,  and  the  Commiine  of 
Marseilles  was  extinguished. 

General  Espivent  and  my  comrades  of  the  loyal 
National  Guard  appointed  me  to  report  personally  to 
M.  Thiers,  at  Versailles,  what  had  taken  place,  as,  having 
been  an  eye-witness,  I  could  narrate  the  facts  better 
than  any  one  else.  Accordingly  on  April  6th  I  set  out 
for  Versailles. 

On  my  arriving  there,  after  informing  M.  Barthelemy 
Saint-Hilaire,  then  General  Secretary  of  the  Government, 
of  the  mission  entrusted  to  me,  he  made  an  appointment 
with  me  at  his  residence  for  the  following  morning.  He 
then  took  me  at  once  to  M.  Thiers. 

The  President  of  the  Republic  was  in  a  very  simply 
furnished  room.     In  one  of  the  comers  was  a  narrow. 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  31 

low  camp-bed,  covered  with  brown  leather.  The  floor 
was  littered  with  maps;  and  M.  Thiers  was  on  his  knees 
poring  over  a  plan  of  Paris. 

He  looked  up  and,  on  recognising  me,  said  without 
rising:  "Oh,  yes,  you  have  come  from  Marseilles;  but  I 
have  no  time  at  present  to  hear  your  report.  You  must 
go  and  see  Calmon."  And  he  became  again  engrossed 
in  the  map  of  Paris. 

I  therefore  saw  M.  Calmon,  Under-Secretary  at  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior.  He  listened  rather  heedlessly 
to  what  I  said,  for  he  cared  much  less  to  know  those  who 
had  done  their  duty  than  the  men  who  had  neglected 
it.  I  therefore  cut  short  what  I  had  intended  telling  and 
hurriedly  left  him. 

I  was  quite  discouraged.  I  bitterly  regretted  having 
vainly  undertaken  a  long  journey  and  exposed  myself  to 
such  a  disappointment,  and  I  felt  that  my  best  course 
would  be  to  return  to  Marseilles. 

Two  days  later  I  returned  to  take  leave  of  M.  Thiers. 
He  came  forward  and  welcomed  me  in  a  more  friendly 
way. 

"My  reception  was  not  encouraging  to  you  the  other 
day,"  he  said,  "but  I  was  then  in  the  deepest  anxiety. 
I  thought  all  was  lost.  Now  I  know  that  we  shall  get  over 
this  trial.  I  feel  more  master  of  myself  than  I  did  the 
other  day,  and  I  am  ready  to  hear  what  you  have  to 
tell  me.  I  am  aware  of  the  great  services  you  have 
rendered  us.  I  have  received  letters  from  friends  at 
Marseilles  which  leave  no  doubt  as  to  that." 

He  then  put  a  nimiber  of  questions  to  me,  and  I  de- 
scribed to  him  the  events  that  had  taken  place,  both  in 
their  burlesque  and  in  their  gloomy  aspects.     He  seemed 


32  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

to  be  very  much  interested  in  my  narrative,  and  when  I 
had  finished  he  asked  me : 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  now?" 

"I  have  come,  Monsieur  le  President,  to  bid  you  fare- 
well. I  am  going  home  to-morrow,  as  I  have  left  my 
family  in  the  South." 

"Do  not  go  away,"  he  said  briskly.  "Stay  here  a 
little  longer.  Come  again  and  tell  me  what  you  are 
doing.  I  will  soon  let  you  know  in  what  way  you  can 
be  useful  to  us." 

I  yielded  to  M.  Thiers's  desire. 

•  •••••• 

Some  days  later  I  was  able  to  take  a  step  which  had 
no  small  influence  on  my  destiny.  The  siege  of  Paris,  by 
the  Versailles  troops,  was  nearing  its  end.  I  had  gone  to 
Brimborion  to  see  the  batteries  shelling  the  Communists. 
In  a  casemate  near  the  batteries  a  young  American 
lady  was  looking  through  a  loophole.  We  discussed  the 
events  which  were  taking  place,  and  in  the  midst  of  our 
conversation,  on  looking  again  through  the  hole,  the 
yoimg  lady  exclaimed : 

"What  is  this?  Look  here!  Some  one  is  waving  a 
white  flag  over  the  ramparts." 

I  took  up  my  glasses  and  saw  that  a  white  flag  was 
being  waved  violently  and  that  there  was  a  great  stir 
among  the  soldiers  encamped  all  about  the  Seine,  while 
large  columns  were  marching  forward. 

The  demon  of  journalism  took  hold  of  me.  I  turned  to 
the  young  American  lady  (whom  I  have  never  since  met) 
and  said  to  her :  ' '  Please  remain  here  and  be  good 
enough  to  notice  attentively  all  that  happens.  I  shall 
be  back  in  half  an  hour." 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  33 

I  left  the  casemate  and  rushed  to  the  Sevres  road, 
where  I  had  left  my  cab.  I  said  to  the  driver,  "To  the 
Versailles  Prefecture  as  fast  as  you  can." 

I  had  the  good  luck  to  arrive  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
Prefecture  at  the  very  moment  M.  Thiers  was  taking  his 
daily  "constitutional." 

I  ran  up  to  him  exclaiming,  "Monsieur  le  President, 
the  troops  are  entering  Paris." 

M.  Thiers  gave  a  sudden  start.  "Where  do  you  come 
from?"  he  asked. 

"  From  Brimborion.  A  man  is  waving  a  white  flag 
on  the  ramparts,  and  the  troops  are  now  moving 
onward." 

Ten  minutes  afterward  M.  Thiers  was  leaving  Versailles 
in  a  carriage  on  the  road  to  Paris. 

Some  days  later  he  sent  for  me  and  made  me  tell  in 
detail  all  that  had  occurred.  He  was  very  much  in- 
terested and  he  said : 

"It  is  a  latest  news  department  that  would  best  suit 
you.  In  a  day  or  two  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you 
something  about  your  future  career." 

When  I  saw  him  again  he  told  me  he  was  thinking 
of  giving  me  a  consulate. 

"  It  will  only  be  for  a  start,"  he  said.  "  I  am  going  to 
send  you  to  Riga  as  Consul-General,  but  depend  upon  it, 
you  will  not  remain  there  long." 

I  concluded  that  the  affair  was  settled,  and  began  to 
study  the  situation  of  Riga.  But  M.  Thiers  had  reckoned 
without  his  host.  M.  Meurand  was  then  at  the  nead  of 
the  French  Foreign  Ofhce.  He  jealously  guarded  the 
consular  fortress  against  the  invasion  of  any  outsider, 
and  when  M.  Thiers  proposed  me  for  the  post  at  Riga, 


34  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

M.  Meurand  did  not  openly  oppose  him,  but  postponed 
the  appointment.  Later  on  he  proposed  to  M.  Thiers 
to  send  me  to  Rustchuk.  M.  Thiers  refused  and  two 
months  passed  by,  M.  Thiers  insisting  all  the  time  upon 
my  being  sent  to  Riga,  and  M.  Meurand  persisting  in  his 
idea  of  sending  me  to  Rustchuk.    I  was  quite  disheartened. 

A  few  weeks  later,  however,  some  consolation  was 
afforded  me.  It  came  about  as  follows:  One  morning  a 
friend  of  mine  came  in  great  haste  to  my  house.   He  said : 

"Do  you  know  you  have  been  decorated  for  having 
rendered  exceptional  services?" 

The  Official  Journal,  in  fact,  after  annoimcing  my 
nomination,  used  the  following  words:  "Gave  evidence 
of  the  most  disinterested  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
order — exposed  himself  to  the  greatest  danger  on  the 
4th  of  April  in  conveying  the  orders  that  had  been 
entrusted  to  him." 

I  take  this  opportunity  of  reproducing  the  above 
words,  for  they  show  exactly  why  my  decoration  was 
granted.  Let  them  be  remembered  by  those  who, 
when  I  am  no  more,  may  have  to  defend  my  memory, 
should  it  ever  be  attacked. 

As  soon  as  communications  with  Paris  had  been  opened 
I  went  into  the  town.  I  made  several  calls,  but  one  of  my 
principal  visits  was  for  my  old  and  dear  friend,  Mr. 
Frederick  Marshall,  whose  eldest  daughter  was  at  the 
time  very  ill.  Of  her  let  me  say  one  word.  She  was  a 
girl  of  fifteen,  of  high  spirits,  and  of  bright  and  poetic 
beauty,  with  qualities  of  heart  and  soul  which  made  her 
too  good  for  this  commonplace  world. 

It  was  at  this  house  I  met,  for  the  first  time,  Laurence 
Oliphant,  then  the  special  correspondent  of  the  Times 


1 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  35 

Sitting  with  him  for  hours  near  the  couch  of  the  sick 
girl,  I  soon  yielded  to  the  charm  which  Oliphant  inspired 
in  all  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  any  intercourse 
with  him.  He  had  come  to  France  in  compliance  with  an 
order  from  the  head  of  the  sect  to  which  he  then  belonged, 
the  "  Brethren  of  the  New  Life. "  He  fulfilled  his  mission 
with  the  ardent  docility  of  a  well-initiated  and  sincere 
disciple,  and  from  the  somewhat  lofty  standpoint  of  a  man 
who  had  drunk  too  deeply  of  the  sweets  of  life  not  to 
despise  them.  His  observations  were  sharp  and  severe, 
but  his  political  doctrines  were  of  unswerving  rectitude, 
and  his  judgments  on  men  and  things  were  both  caustic 
and  infallible.  His  letters  in  the  Times  were  read  with 
avidity,  combining  as  they  did  accurate  observation  with 
a  lively  style.  This,  at  all  events,  is  what  I  have  heard, 
for  I  never  read  them  myself. 

On  July  2ist — the  date  is  an  historical  one  for  me — my 
dear  friend,  Mr.  Frederick  Marshall,  came  and  told  me : 
"Something  has  just  happened  which  may  interest  you. 
Mr.  Hardman,  who  is  the  colleague  of  Laurence  Oliphant, 
the  special  correspondent  of  the  Times,  has  just  left 
Paris  and  will  not  return  for  a  fortnight.  Oliphant  is 
very  much  inconvenienced.  He  cannot  be  both  at 
Versailles  and  Paris,  and  he  is  looking  out  for  some  one 
who  could  at  least  do  a  part  of  Hardman' s  work.  I 
thought  the  post  would  suit  you,  as  you  see  M.  Thiers 
daily,  and  you  complain  of  not  having  enough  to  do." 

"You  are  right,"  I  replied.  "I  not  only  like  your  pro- 
posal, but  you  are  doing  me  a  real  favour,  for  in  this  way 
I  can  see  M.  Thiers  without  the  unpleasant  necessity  of 
reminding  him  of  his  promises." 

Marshall  lost  no  time  in  conveying  my  reply  to  Oliphant, 


36  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

who  was  much  pleased.  We  all  three  met.  Then 
Oliphant,  who  had  not  yet  broached  the  subject  to 
me,  explained  to  me  the  duties  discharged  by  Hard- 
man  and  requested  me  to  begin  the  following  day.  I 
listened  attentively  to  what  he  said,  but  he  saw  that  I 
felt  some  difficulty  which  I  did  not  venture  to  express. 

Finally  he  said:  "You  seem  to  hesitate.  Did  you 
expect  me  to  speak  about  the  remuneration  ?" 

"Not  at  all,"  I  promptly  replied.  "In  this  case  it  is 
not  a  question  of  money,  I  can  assure  you ;  it  is  something 
more  embarrassing.  Before  beginning  I  should  like  to 
see  a  copy  of  the  Times." 

Both  looked  at  me  in  amazement. 

"What?"  exclaimed  Oliphant,  "you  do  not  know  the 
Times  f" 

"Excuse  me,"  I  replied,  "I  know  the  Times  very  well. 
I  know  quite  well  what  it  is.  I  have  a  friend  at  Marseilles 
who  concludes  aU  his  political  discussions  with  the  words : 
'  There  can  be  no  question  about  that ;  the  Tim^s  says  so.' 
The  phrase  has  become  proverbial  among  his  friends. 
But  I  have  long  been  living  in  the  somewhat  remote 
southern  departments  and  I  have  never  seen  a  copy  of 
the  paper." 

Oliphant  broke  into  loud  laughter.  He  went  out  of 
the  room  and  came  back  with  a  copy  of  the  Times,  con- 
taining some  twenty  pages,  which  he  spread  out  on  the 
floor,  covering  the  best  part  of  the  carpet  with  it,  I  was 
dumbfounded. 

"A  friend  of  mine,"  I  said,  "always  told  me  I  ought  to 
write  in  a  roomy  daily  paper.  I  think  that  size  would 
satisfy  him." 

Mr.  Oliphant  then  explained  to  me  the  mechanism  of 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  37 

the  paper — the  telegrams;  the  leaders;  the  record  of 
Parliamentary  proceedings;  the  law  and  police  reports; 
the  money  market  and  commercial  intelligence;  the 
foreign  correspondence;  the  letters  to  the  editor;  the 
court  circular  and  fashionable  news;  the  reports  and 
speeches  out  of  Parliament  and  the  sermons  by  eminent 
preachers;  the  paragraphs;  the  literary,  dramatic, 
musical  and  artistic  criticisms;  the  column  of  births, 
deaths  and  marriages;  the  meteorological  reports  and 
storm  warnings;  the  sporting  news,  including  horse- 
races, yachting,  cricket  matches,  etc, ;  the  articles  on 
geographical  discoveries  and  on  scientific  questions; 
and  the  reviews  of  important  books. 

I  was  shown  the  long,  compact  columns  of  advertise- 
ments, all  carefully  scrutinised,  classified  and  arranged 
under  headings,  where  supply  and  demand  are  brought 
into  juxtaposition  with  the  regularity  of  machine  work; 
where  no  advertisement  unworthy  of  the  newspaper  is 
at  any  price  inserted,  precautions  being  taken  to  insure 
the  good  faith  of  the  advertiser.  All  this  explained  to  me 
the  success  of  the  great  English  newspapers,  how  they 
came  into  possession  of  the  vast  resources  at  their  disposal, 
and  the  benefits  they  confer  on  the  people  for  whom  they 
are  at  once  a  curb,  a  power,  a  stimulant  and  a  glory. 
I  was  delighted  to  find  employment,  even  for  a  time, 
on  the  greatest  of  such  journals. 

The  following  day  I  went  to  Versailles.  I  found 
M.  Thiers  in  a  very  irritable  state  of  mind.  He  was 
indignant  with  all  French  political  parties.  He  accused 
the  Royalists  of  perfidy,  the  Republicans  of  ingratitude 
and  the  Bonapartists  of  imprudence.  I  left  him  without 
daring  to  speak  of  my  new  occupation,  but  on  reflecting 


38  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

on  what  he  had  said  I  drew  up  a  note  which  I  sent  to 
Mr.  Oliphant.     He  was  very  much  pleased  with  it. 

"A  genuine  hit,"  he  said.  "There  is  not  a  word  to 
alter  in  it.     You  are  a  bom  journalist." 

He  then  sent  off  my  first  telegram  to  the  Times.  The 
following  afternoon,  as  I  was  walking  along  the  bo\ile- 
vards,  I  bought  a  copy  of  the  Liberie.  In  the  latest  news 
I  saw  the  telegram  I  had  sent  on  the  previous  night  imder 
the  words,  "A  telegram  from  Paris  to  the  Times  says." 
I  experienced  one  of  the  strongest  emotions  I  ever  felt 
in  my  life.  The  power  of  the  telegraph  in  its  connection 
with  journalism  flashed  upon  me  at  that  moment,  and  I 
felt  I  could  turn  it  to  account.  I  then  resolved  that  I 
would  remain  in  Paris  and  become  a  journalist. 

•  •••••• 

The  day  after  the  publication  of  my  first  telegram  I 
went  to  see  M.  Thiers,  not  without  apprehension.  He 
was  awaiting  me  with  impatience. 

"Tell  me,"  he  said  at  once,  "how  it  comes  about  that 
the  Times,  and  after  it  all  the  French  papers,  were  able 
to  publish  a  conversation  which  I  had  with  you  when 
none  else  was  present." 

All  hesitation  was  out  of  the  question,  so  I  told  him  the 
truth  immediately.  It  was  a  most  dramatic  surprise. 
He,  too,  saw  at  once  the  power  he  woiild  gain  in  an 
indirect  but  striking  manner  by  placing  his  ideas  thus 
before  the  public  mind.  At  the  same  time,  I  think  he 
felt  relieved  at  being  able  to  discontinue  his  struggle  with 
M.  Meurand,  who  persisted  in  defending  his  position 
with  the  utmost  tenacity.  M.  Thiers  was  not  over- 
pleased  when  I  told  him  that  my  appointment  was 
temporary. 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  39 

The  conversation  I  had  with  him  supplied  me  with 
matter  for  a  new  telegram  and  for  a  fresh  and  no  less 
admirable  letter  by  Oliphant,  and  it  was  in  this  way  that 
we  were  able  to  carry  on  our  joint  work.  Some  days 
afterward  I  asked  permission  from  M.  Thiers  to  visit 
with  Oliphant  the  prisons  in  which  the  Communists  were 
confined.     M.  Thiers  gladly  granted  the  permission. 

I  must  explain  that  Mr.  Hardman,  carried  away  by 
his  feelings  and  without  taking  into  consideration  the 
frightful  difficulties  the  Government  of  Versailles  had 
to  overcome,  had,  hastily  and  in  perfect  good  faith, 
given  an  account  in  his  letters  of  these  temporary  and 
defective  makeshift  buildings,  which  had  produced  a 
deep  impression  on  public  opinion  all  over  Europe.  M. 
Thiers  was  delighted  to  see  us  set  right  the  errors  which 
had  found  their  way  into  these  letters.  Accompanied 
by  Colonel  Gaillard,  who  at  that  time  assisted  General 
Appert,  we  went  through  the  prisons  of  the  Orangerie, 
the  Chantiers,  and  the  camp  of  Satory,  where  the 
Communists  were  confined. 

General  Appert,  who  afterward  discharged  the  duties 
of  Russian  Ambassador  in  a  way  which  gained  for  him 
general  esteem,  was  at  that  time  entrusted  with  the 
organisation  and  direction  of  the  temporary  prisons. 
He  displayed  in  this  capacity  all  the  humanity  com- 
patible with  the  circumstances.  The  events  had  taken 
everybody  by  surprise.  Each  day  that  passed  between 
the  2ist  and  the  26th  of  May,  the  incendiary  fires,  the 
massacres  and  the  fusillades — the  most  horrible  episode 
in  modem  history — had  sent  swarms  of  captives  to 
Versailles.  It  had  been  impossible  to  do  otherwise  than 
huddle  them  together. 


40  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

When  we  visited  the  prison  the  Commune  was  not 
finished.  It  appeared  to  us  hideous,  grotesque  and 
sublime.  In  the  prisons  of  the  Chantiers  we  saw  a 
young  woman  squatting  on  the  floor  who  attracted 
special  attention. 

She  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  I  have  ever 
seen.  Her  long  black  tresses  fell  over  her  bare  shoulders, 
and  as  she  had  torn  her  dress  to  shreds,  not  to  wear  the 
clothes  of  the  "accursed  Versaillaise, "  one  could  see  her 
naked  body  through  the  rents.  She  was  tall  and  graceful, 
and  on  the  approach  of  visitors  she  reared  her  head 
proudly,  like  a  war-horse  about  to  neigh.  Her  bright 
eyes  glistened;  a  blush  overspread  her  face.  She  com- 
pressed her  lips,  ground  her  teeth,  and  burst  into  a  shrill, 
defiant,  vindictive  laugh  when  she  recognised  the  officer 
of  the  prison  who  accompanied  us.  In  the  last  struggle 
of  the  Commune  she  had  been  fighting  at  the  side  of 
her  lover.  She  had  seen  him  fall  and,  armed  with  a 
dagger,  had  rushed  upon  the  Captain  who  had  just  taken 
the  barricade  and  furiously  stabbed  him,  plunging  her 
weapon  again  and  again  into  her  victim.  Before  she 
could  be  removed  from  his  body  she  had  cut,  bitten  and 
torn  it  with  all  the  fury  of  a  hyena.  She  was  taken  to 
the  prison  covered  with  blood,  which  she  had  dabbled 
over  her  body  and  clothes.  She  had  to  be  bound  and 
gagged  before  she  would  allow  the  blood  to  be  washed 
off.     Hideous ! 

At  Satory,  while  we  were  passing  through  the  camp, 
one  of  the  prisoners,  jauntily  and  with  a  smile  on  his  face, 
came  up  to  Colonel  Gaillard.  I  never  saw  a  more  ridicu- 
lous caricature.  He  was  thin,  bony  and  narrow-should- 
ered.    His  head  was  compressed,  and  his  features  looked 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  41 

as  if  they  had  not  been  meant  for  the  same  face.  He 
was  in  rags,  but  he  wore,  Hke  a  Castilian  beggar,  soiled 
linen — on  which  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  write, 
"This  is  a  shirt" — a  long,  loose  overcoat,  and  a  dilapi- 
dated tall  hat.  He  was  a  student  nicknamed  "Pipe-en- 
Bois,"  who  had  discharged  the  duties  of  secretary  to  the 
Delegate  of  Foreign  Affairs.  On  one  occasion  he  had 
offered  a  pot  of  beer  to  Lord  Lyons,  to  pass  the  time 
while  waiting  in  the  Grand  Salon  d'Attente  at  the 
Quai  d'Orsay.  The  offer  had  not  been  accepted,  but 
had  been  acknowledged  with  a  smile.  He  came  up 
to  Colonel  Gaillard. 

"They  tell  me.  Colonel,"  he  said,  "that  we  are  to  be 
taken  down  to  be  called  as  witnesses  before  the  court- 
martial.  Can  you  inform  me  how  long  we  shall  be 
kept  there?" 

"I  am  sorry  I  cannot,  as  I  do  not  know,"  was  the 
Colonel's  courteous  reply. 

"Excuse  the  liberty  I  took,"  continued  Pipe-en-Bois, 
drawing  together  his  overcoat;  "it  was  only  to  know 
what  linen  would  be  required." 

Grotesque ! 

The  Commune  was  also  subHme,  A  prisoner,  a  man,  had 
been  captured  with  arms  in  his  hands,  was  imprisoned 
and  condemned  to  death.  His  wife  made  heroic  efforts 
to  save  him,  and  succeeded  in  securing  the  sympathy  of 
a  man  who  had  influence  in  those  times.  Her  husband 
was  saved  from  capital  punishment,  and  was  condemned 
to  transportation.  Left  alone  and  abandoned,  without 
resources,  she  had  formed  an  intimacy  with  the  man 
who  had  saved  her  husband.  After  living  for  years  with 
this    lover,    to    whom    she    was    deeply    attached,    she 


42  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

besought  him  to  apply  for  a  pardon  for  her  husband. 
Although  he  felt  that  he  was  destroying  her  happiness 
and  his  own,  he  did  so.  The  husband  returned  full  of 
love  for  the  wife  who  had  saved  him  from  execution  and 
procured  his  liberation.  On  the  way  home,  however,  he 
learned  the  truth.  He  changed  his  name,  disappeared,, 
and  lived  in  hiding  for  many  years.  Then,  when  divorce 
became  possible  in  France,  he  wrote  to  his  wife :  "Apply 
for  a  divorce  from  me ;  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  secure  one 
for  you.     Marry  him  and  be  happy." 

Sublime ! 

Oliphant  wrote  admirable  letters  on  this  visit,  in  which 
he  gave  a  most  accurate  description  of  what  he  saw, 
and  they  produced  a  great  impression.  The  Times 
then  asked  permission  to  send  Mr.  Charles  Austin,  a  clever 
and  humorous  writer,  to  the  fortified  prisons  in  the 
south  of  France  as  special  correspondent,  and  his  com- 
munications to  the  paper  completely  rectified  the  wrong 
impressions  that  had  prevailed  with  respect  to  the  treat- 
ment of  the  French  political  prisoners. 

It  was  just  at  the  time  when  my  new  occupation  had 
the  greatest  charm  for  me  that  Mr.  Hardman  returned 
to  his  duties.     It  was  a  hard  blow  for  me  to  bear. 

M.  Thiers  thought  of  applying  on  my  behalf  to  the 
Times.  He  was  now  accustomed  to  my  visits.  I  was 
one  of  the  political  elements  which  gravitated  aroimd 
him.  He  was  unwilling  that  any  change  should  be 
made.  Oliphant,  however,  objected  to  his  intervention. 
He  said  it  would  be  a  sure  way  of  losing  all  chance  of 
admission  on  the  staff  of  the  paper.  M.  Thiers  accord- 
ingly abandoned  his  scheme. 

Riga,  this  eternal  phantom  of  the  snowy  North,  came 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  43 

once  more  to  the  front.  This  time  M.  Thiers  promised 
formally  to  hand  me  my  letter  of  appointment  within 
eight  days.  Riga  !  It  appeared  to  me  now  a  place  of 
exile. 

I  had  drunk  too  deeply  of  the  sweets  of  a  life  the  very 
struggles  of  which  were  full  of  deHght.  I  clung  to  it.  I 
made  some  advances  to  the  Paris  newspapers.  I  soon 
felt  that  to  become  a  French  journalist,  talent,  even  if 
one  has  it,  does  not  suffice.  Many  other  qualities  are  nec- 
essary, and  these  I  did  not  possess.  Extreme  suppleness, 
readiness  in  understanding  the  public  taste  and  in  con- 
forming to  it,  are  indispensable  in  a  French  editor.  He 
must  possess,  besides,  the  art  of  repelling  a  public  adver- 
sary by  alarming  the  individual,  skill  to  command  in- 
fluence by  asserting  the  possession  of  it,  a  natural  way 
of  using  the  editorial  "we"  without  a  smile,  a  perfection 
of  style  which  throws  into  the  shade  the  interest  of  the 
facts  and  the  skill  with  which  they  are  grouped,  a  bril- 
liancy of  detail  which  dazzles  and  distracts  attention, 
something  which  is  at  once  aggressive,  bold  and  skeptical. 
All  these  gifts  the  French  newspaperman  possesses 
instinctively,  and  brings  them  to  perfection  by  living  in 
a  special  milieu.  I  felt  that  I  was  destitute  of  all 
these  qualifications,  without  which  no  one  can  reach  an 
eminent  position  on  the  French  press.  Sadly,  then,  I 
determined  on  the  course  I  should  take.  I  resolved 
to  see  M.  Thiers  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  to 
remind  him  of  the  letter  of  appointment  he  had 
formally  promised  to  obtain  for  me. 

Breakfast  was  just  over  when  suddenly  Oliphant  made 
his  appearance.     He  had  a  telegram  in  his  hand. 

"Hardman,"     he     said,    "was    called    back   the    day 


44  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

before  yesterday.  He  will  not  return  to  Paris.  I 
telegraphed  yesterday  to  the  Times,  and  I  have  this 
moment  received  a  reply.  A  proposal  is  made  to  give 
you  a  permanent  appointment.  If  you  accept,  you  wiU 
remain  in  the  meantime  with  me ;  and  the  other  matters 
can  easily  be  arranged." 

My  satisfaction  was  so  apparent  that  I  had  no  need  to 
reply.  I  set  out  for  Versailles,  where  I  annoimced  to 
M.  Thiers  that  Mr.  Hardman  had  again  left,  and  that 
I  was  once  more  to  take  his  place.  He  told  me  my  ap- 
pointment to  Riga  was  ready,  and  that  he  would  delay  its 
announcement  till  he  heard  from  me  again,  for  I  did  not 
inform  him  that  I  was  permanently  engaged  by  the  Times. 

I  must  confess  that  for  a  long  time  I  concealed  the  fact 
from  him,  and  that  frequently,  by  asking  for  my  appoint- 
ment to  Riga,  I  overcame  the  difficulties  that  arose 
between  him  and  me.  When  he  became  aware  of  the 
truth,  he,  in  turn,  said  nothing  of  it  to  me,  but  I  felt  that 
"Riga"  was  of  no  more  use.  Fortimately  at  this  time 
I  had  multiplied  my  sources  of  information.  The 
intercourse  between  M.  Thiers  and  me  was  at  times  less 
cordial,  for  I  had  to  give  news  which  embarrassed  him, 
instead  of  the  one-sided  information  which  he  commimi- 
cated  to  me  to  help  his  policy. 

Here  is  an  instance. 

One  evening  M.  Thiers,  who  had  by  this  time  taken 
up  his  abode  at  the  Elysee,  had  a  private  reception. 
M.  Timachief,  the  Russian  Minister,  was  for  a  short 
time  in  earnest  conversation  with  him.  The  President 
was  evidently  annoyed.  I  went  to  another  part  of  the 
room  not  to  overhear  what  was  said.  As  I  was  leaving 
M.  Thiers  said  to  me : 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  45 

"The  Russian  Minister  congratulated  me  yesterday 
morning  on  the  discipline  I  have  introduced  into  the 
Republican  party.  He  said  the  European  monarchic 
governments  were  much  impressed  by  it." 

I  did  not  for  a  moment  call  in  question  the  accuracy 
of  the  statement,  but  it  was  in  no  respect  consistent  with 
the  attitude  of  the  two  speakers  I  had  seen  in  conversation. 
I  accordingly  resolved  to  wait  a  little  before  writing  on 
the  subject.     As  it  happened,  on  making  my  way  out 

of  the  palace  I  overtook  Count ,  the  Prefect  of  one 

of  the  chief  French  departments,  who  had  stopped  at 
the  gate  and  was  busy  writing  notes  in  the  light  of  the 
gas  lamp.     I  went  up  to  him.     I  said : 

"My  dear  Prefect,  the  detectives  will  take  us  into 
custody.  They  will  think  you  are  making  plans  of  the 
palace  to  carry  out  some  plot." 

"Their  imagination  will  bring  them  no  reward,"  he 
said;  " I  was  simply  taking  a  note  of  some  remarks  made 
by  M.  Thiers,  whom  I  found  very  indignant,  and  on 
what  I  consider  very  good  grounds,  too.  It  appears 
that  M.  Timachief,  the  Russian  Minister,  used  strong 
language  in  speaking  to  him  this  evening  about  the  revolu- 
tionary speech  made  at  Romans  by  Gambetta,  which 
he  said  would  spread  alarm  in  the  European  monarchies." 

After  a  moment's  reflection  he  added,  "I  think  it 
would  be  a  service  to  everybody  if  you  were  to  mention 
the  fact." 

I  remained  with  him  for  a  few  minutes,  talking  of 
general  subjects ;  but  on  leaving  I  lost  no  time  in  writing 
that  M.  Timachief,  after  having  congratulated  M.  Thiers 
on  the  discipline  he  had  introduced  into  the  Republican 
party,   had  on  the  following    night — that    on  which   I 


46  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

wrote — protested  strongly  against  the  disquieting  atti- 
tude it  had  asstimed. 

I  am  going,  for  the  benefit  of  younger  journalists,  to 
give  a  hint  which  a  good  many  of  them  whom  I  know 
would  do  well  to  bear  in  mind.  When  a  man  gives  a 
correspondent  an  important  piece  of  news,  the  latter 
should  continue  to  remain  with  him  for  some  time,  but 
change  the  conversation,  and  not  leave  him  until  it 
has  turned  to  something  quite  insignificant.  If  the  cor- 
respondent takes  his  departure  abruptly,  a  flash  of  caution 
will  btu*st  upon  his  informant.  He  will  reflect  rapidly, 
and  will  beg  the  journalist  not  to  repeat  what  he  has 
said  till  he  sees  him  again.  The  information  would 
be  lost,  and  the  correspondent  would  suffer  annoyance 
that  might  have  been  avoided  if  he  had  heard  nothing. 
A  newspaper  has  no  use  for  confidential  communications 
it  cannot  transmit  to  its  readers. 

Taking  this  view,  I  published  my  double  information. 
An  explosion  followed.  The  Conservatives  were  delighted 
and  set  M.  Thiers  at  defiance.  Prince  Orlofi  was  irritated. 
M.  Thiers  was  very  exasperated,  and  he  went  so  far  as 
to  say  to  me : 

"I  never  spoke  of  that  to  any  one.  You  should  have 
communicated  with  me  before  repeating  what  had  been 
only  partially  told  you."  He  thought  I  had  overheard 
his  conversation  with  M.  Timachief. 

I  was  indignant.  I  gave  way  to  one  of  those  fits  of 
nervous  excitement  which  at  times  will  master  us.  And 
in  a  loud  voice  I  replied :  "The  ruler  of  a  State  commits 
a  great  imprudence  when  he  receives  a  journalist  who  can 
repeat  aloud  what  is  told  him  in  a  whisper,"  and  I  burst 
out  of  the  room  furiously. 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  47 

Three  weeks  afterward  I  met  M.  Thiers  in  the  Galerie 
des  Tombeaux.  He  came  up  to  me  smiling.  "You  are 
certainly  a  good  journalist,"  he  said;  "but  your  nerves 
are  so  highly  strung  that  I  shall  never  think  of  making 
you  an  ambassador."  Then  he  asked  me  to  call  on 
him,  as  he  had  an  interesting  piece  of  news  to  give  me. 
Peace  was  restored  between  us. 

This  is  a  sufficient  illustration  of  the  difficulty  a  news- 
paper correspondent  has  in  both  serving  his  friends  and 
telling  the  truth.  It  is  prudent  for  him  to  accept  no 
favour  which  can  give  those  who  bestow  it  a  right  or 
claim  to  control  him. 

A  short  time  after  I  had  officially  entered  on  my  duties 
as  a  Times  correspondent,  Mr.  Oliphant  took  a  holiday, 
and,  with  the  approval  of  the  newspaper,  entrusted  me 
with  the  non-telegraphic  correspondence.  I  was  delighted 
to  see  my  first  letter  copied  into  the  newspapers  of  every 
country.  I  had  the  same  satisfaction  in  1872,  v/hen  I 
gave  an  account  of  my  interview  at  Antwerp  with  the 
Count  de  Chambord. 

Not  long  afterward  a  lucky  accident  secured  for  me 
the  approbation  and  good-will  of  Mr.  John  Delane,  who 
for  thirty-two  years  was  editor  of  the  Times,  and  who, 
I  need  scarcely  say,  was  the  most  competent  judge  of  the 
merits  of  a  journalist,  and  the  honour  and  glory  of  the 
profession. 

In  the  year  referred  to  Mr.  Delane  came  to  Paris,  and 
I  then  saw  him  for  the  first  time.  I  accompanied  him 
to  Versailles,  and  we  were  present  at  a  sitting  of  the 
Chamber,  which  was  entirely  taken  up  by  an  admirable 
speech  by  M.  Thiers,  delivered  amidst  the  greatest  excite- 
ment.    We  returned  together  to   Paris,   and  the   same 


48  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

night  Mr.  Delane  left  for  London.  It  was  toward  the  end 
of  April,  and  I  went  with  him  to  the  station.  At 
that  time  there  was  no  proper  arrangement  for  the 
publication  in  Paris  of  the  debates  at  Versailles.  The 
siimmary  appeared  very  late,  and  the  report  of  the  pro- 
ceedings given  by  the  Soir  could  not  be  had  in  Paris  in 
time  to  be  made  use  of  by  us. 

"What  a  pity,"  said  Mr.  Delane,  on  leaving  me,  "that 
things  are  so  badly  organised !  If  we  could  have  given 
that  speech  from  one  end  to  the  other  in  to-morrow's 
paper,  what  a  glorious  thing  it  would  have  been  !" 

When  he  had  left,  a  wild  idea  came  into  my  head. 
Following  the  old  habit  which  I  still  retain,  I  sat  down 
and  shut  my  eyes.  I  then  strove  to  call  up  the  image  of 
the  Assembly,  with  M.  Thiers  in  the  rostrum,  and  as 
I  had  listened  very  attentively  to  what  he  had  said,  it 
seemed  as  if  I  could  hear  him  speaking,  and  that  I  could 
write  down  his  speech. 

I  went  at  once  to  the  telegraph  office  in  the  Rue 
de  Grenelle.  I  obtained  writing  materials  in  an  empty 
room.  There  I  put  into  operation  my  mnemonic  process. 
Alternately  I  shut  my  eyes  to  see  and  hear  M.  Thiers  and 
opened  them  to  write  out  the  speech  for  the  wire.  I 
was  able  to  recall  and  report  all  his  speech,  which  was  of 
course  instantaneously  transmitted  to  London.  When  Mr. 
Delane,  next  morning,  opened  the  Times,  in  England,  he 
foimd  in  it  two  columns  and  a  half,  reporting  the 
speech  he  had  heard  on  the  previous  afternoon  at 
Versailles. 

The  direct  wire  which  the  Times  obtained  two  years 
afterward — in  May,  1874 — and  which  has  now  been  so 
generally  imitated,  was  the  result  of  the  effort  I  made 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  49 

on  this  occasion  to  outstrip  the  Paris  joumaHsts  in 
reporting  their  own  news. 

Mr.  OHphant,  as  I  told  my  readers,  had  come  to 
Europe  from  America  in  compHance  with  orders  he 
had  received  from  the  founder  of  a  sect  whom  he 
spoke  of  as  "the  prophet  Harris."  He  had  for  years 
led  a  troubled  life  in  London.  His  countrymen  had 
been  both  amused  and  scandalized  by  the  publication 
of  a  satirical  sheet,  the  Owl. 

He  was  beginning  to  reflect  on  the  vanity  of  a  life 
leading  to  nothing  great  or  noble,  when  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Harris,  who  was  looking  out  in 
Europe  for  converts  and  recruits  to  join  a  colony 
they  had  founded  in  the  United  States.  His 
doctrine  soon  took  a  firm  hold  of  the  imagination 
of  Oliphant,  who  recognised  "the  prophet"  as  one 
whom  it  was  his  duty  to  serve  and  obey.  In  proof 
of  this,  he  submitted  to  the  hardest  and  meanest  work. 
Thus,  as  a  labourer,  he  drove  carts  filled  with  manure, 
for  the  new  colony — the  "Brethren  of  the  New  Life." 

Harris  sent  Oliphant  back  to  Europe  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  Franco-German  war,  and  it  was  then  he  entered 
the  employment  of  the  Times,  at  first  as  a  special  war 
correspondent  and  afterward  as  chief  Paris  representative 
of  the  paper.  He  had  married  a  charming  wife,  whom  he 
easily  converted  to  the  new  faith ;  she,  in  fact,  accepted 
her  husband's  teaching  with  the  docility  of  a  loving  heart, 
blind  to  the  errors  of  the  apostle.  From  the  commence- 
ment of  our  official  intercourse  I  had  taken  special  care 
to  make  known  to  my  colleague  my  religious  opinions, 
in  order  to  avert  any  controversy  or  misunderstanding 
between  us. 


^o  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

The  first  time  he  began  to  explain  his  doctrines  I 
interrupted  him. 

"Excuse  me, "  I  said,  " I  think  we  ought  to  settle  once 
for  all  this  question  of  proselytism  which  might  cause 
differences  between  us.  I  cannot  accept  the  views  of 
your  prophet,  which  are  based  on  pride.  He  has  proved 
to  you  that  you  are  greater  than  other  men  because  you 
have  submitted  to  drive  a  dust-cart.  I  prefer  the  word 
of  Christ,  who  taught  us  not  to  consider  ourselves  greater 
or  better  than  other  men,  because  we  are  dust  ourselves. 
Himianity  oscillates  between  atheism,  which  rejects 
reason,  and  reason,  which  bows  to  faith.  Those  who 
would  substitute  the  everlasting  harmony  of  the  world 
by  successive  aggregations  arising  out  of  chaos  in  fulfil- 
ment of  an  unconscious  and  sublime  order,  claim  a  greater 
effort  from  me  than  those  who  ask  me  to  believe  in  one 
God  and  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  When  I  have 
admitted  that  God  created  the  world,  I  have  expressed 
a  belief,  certainly,  which  makes  revealed  religions  appear 
infinitely  less  miraculous  and  a  thousandfold  more 
acceptable  than  the  theory  of  spontaneous  creation  and 
automatic  development.  That  from  the  midst  of  the 
people  of  God,  trodden  under  the  hoof  of  the  pagan 
conqueror  in  the  corrupt  Graeco-Roman  world,  there 
should  have  arisen  a  prophet  who,  instead  of  hatred 
and  revolution,  preached  charity,  forgiveness,  brotherly 
love  and  good-will  toward  all  men,  was  itself  a  greater 
miracle  than  any  of  those  attributed  to  Christ  during 
his  sojourn  on  earth.  Unless  you  can  teach  me  a  religion 
which  inculcates  precepts  more  sublime  than  those  of 
the  divine  philosopher  of  Nazareth,  which  your  prophet 
does  not  do,  leave  me  my  faith  without  seeking  to  trouble 


i 


HOW  I  BECAME  A  JOURNALIST  51 

it.     You  may  make  an  imhappy  man,  but  you  will  not 
make  a  disciple," 

Oliphant  did  not  reply.  He  was  perhaps  pleased  that  I 
had  spoken  with  so  much  sincerity,  and  the  subject  was 
never  again  referred  to. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  Champagne  Conspiracy 

On  the  31st  of  July,  1872,  Count  de  Keratry,  who  was 
then  Prefect  of  the  Department  of  Bouches-du-Rhone, 
came  to  Versailles.  His  object  was  to  induce  M.  Thiers 
to  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  National  Assembly  the 
serious  contention  which  existed  between  himself  and 
the  Mayor  of  Marseilles.  M.  Thiers  received  him  most 
kindly,  listened  to  what  he  had  to  say,  and,  by  way  of 
reply,  invited  him  to  luncheon.  At  table  he  was  most 
attentive  to  his  guest,  paying  him  all  the  honours  due 
to  his  position  as  head  official  of  one  of  the  largest  Prefec- 
tures of  France.  He  offered  him  the  seat  to  the  right  of 
Madame  Thiers,  facing  himself.  This  strict  observance 
of  etiquette  was,  at  the  same  time,  a  clever  piece  of 
strategy,  for  M.  Thiers  had  given  M.  de  Keratry  the  only 
place  at  table  from  which  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
discuss  with  his  host  the  question  about  which  he  had 
come.  M.  de  Keratry  understood  this,  and  immediately 
after  luncheon,  as  M.  Thiers  appeared  to  be  greatly 
pressed  for  time,  he  took  leave  of  him  and  we  left  the 
house  together. 

"He  was  afraid,"  said  M.  de  Keratry,  "that  I  should 
compel  him  to  delay  the  prorogation  of  the  National 
Assembly." 

That  was  quite  true.  M.  Thiers  was  leaving  the 
following  day  for  Trouville,  where  he  was  to  spend  a  few 

52 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  53 

weeks.  The  National  Assembly  was  to  cease  work  that 
very  afternoon  and  take  its  vacation. 

The  idea  of  this  visit  to  Trouville  delighted  M.  Thiers 
and  he  was  as  excited  as  a  child  about  it,  for,  thanks  to 
his  chubby  appearance,  short  and  stout  as  he  was,  his 
exhibitions  of  joy  or  anger  were  apt  to  appear  childlike. 

He  had  taken  the  Cordier  Chalet  at  Trouville.  Every- 
thing was  arranged ;  all  preparations  had  been  completed, 
and  part  of  the  presidential  household  already  installed 
in  the  chalet,  expecting  to  receive  its  master  at  any 
moment.  The  train  in  which  M.  Thiers  was  to  travel 
was  waiting  in  the  Versailles  station  ready  to  start. 
The  various  localities  where  the  presidential  train  was 
to  stop  had  been  advised  of  the  hour  and  of  the  length 
of  time  the  train  would  remain  there.  In  short,  all  the 
preliminaries  which  are  necessary  for  an  official  and, 
one  might  almost  say,  a  triumphal  voyage  had  been 
arranged,  and  M.  Thiers  was  in  a  state  of  joyful  im- 
patience which  made  the  idea  of  any  delay  in  his 
departure  unbearable. 

Count  de  Keratry  gained  nothing  by  his  journey. 
The  National  Assembly  was  prorogued,  and  M.  Thiers 
was  free  to  start. 

The  departure  was  fixed  for  the  first  of  August,  at  an 
early  hour  in  the  morning. 

At  Versailles  the  silence  which  had  followed  the 
departure  of  the  National  Assembly  was  broken  by 
unusual  animation.  A  somewhat  large  group  had 
gathered  in  front  of  the  gates  of  the  Prefecture,  where 
open  carriages  awaited  the  Chief  of  the  State,  whilst  his 
civil  and  military  household,  in  full  uniform,  were  in  the 
courtyard.     The  sun  was  radiant — ^less  radiant,  though. 


54  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

than  M.  Thiers  himself  when,  dressed  in  black,  with  his 
frock-coat  buttoned,  tight-fitting  gloves  and  a  gray  hat, 
he  came  down  into  the  courtyard,  accompanied  by 
Madame  Thiers  and  Mademoiselle  Dosne. 

Colonel  Lambert,  Captain  Fayet  and  Lieutenant  de 
Salignac-Fenelon,  drawn  up  in  a  line,  gave  the  military 
salute,  with  a  smile  on  their  lips.  They,  with  M.  Leroux 
and  M.  Andrieux,  chief  secretaries  and  their  assistants, 
walking  bareheaded,  formed  the  retinue  which  was  to 
accompany  the  President  to  Trouville. 

The  little  crowd  gave  a  few  confused  shouts  when  the 
carriages,  at  a  slow,  measured  pace,  passed  through  the 
gates  in  the  direction  of  the  station. 

As  they  proceeded,  quite  a  nimiber  of  people  raised 
their  hats  respectfully.  The  travellers  formed  a  line, 
the  Democrats  remaining  bareheaded  and  the  Reactionists 
keeping  their  hats  on  and  holding  their  heads  up  in  a 
defiant  way.  The  station  was  decorated,  and  a  railway 
inspector  preceded  M.  Thiers  to  the  carriage  reserved 
for  him,  and  remained  at  his  orders  imtil  he  arrived  at 
his  destination.  It  was  the  departure  of  a  sovereign, 
without  his  state  dress,  travelling  incognito. 

The  train  left  by  a  side  line,  joining  the  main  line  I  do 
not  remember  where,  and  on  the  platform  of  the  first 
station  at  which  it  stopped  we  saw  a  stout  man  appear, 
with  a  red  face,  wearing  the  tri-coloured  sash.  He 
placed  himself  in  front  of  M.  Thiers  with  several  other 
men  round  him,  all  of  whom  had  very  red  faces.  He 
then  took  out  a  paper  and  proceeded  to  read,  but  his 
slow,  monotonous  voice  did  not  reach  our  ears. 

M.  Thiers,  who  had  turned  his  back  on  us,  bowed 
several  times,   raised  his  hat  slightly  and  then,   with 


A   CHAMPAGNE   CONSPIRACY  55 

quick,  graceful  gestures,  replied  in  his  clear,  refined 
voice,  and  every  one  applauded.  There  were  a  few  shouts 
heard,  which  were  taken  up  by  the  crowd  that  had 
gathered  outside  the  station  alongside  the  railings  of  the 
platform.  M.  Thiers  continued  talking  for  a  few  minutes. 
He  made  inquiries  about  the  needs  and  wishes  of  the 
little  town,  but  he  stopped  the  Mayor  in  his  enumeration 
and  took  his  leave  just  as  the  poor  man,  with  his  arm  in 
the  air,  was  continuing  the  list  of  all  the  wants  and 
requirements  of  this  particular  part  of  the  country. 
We  could  see  nothing  of  M,  Thiers  but  his  back,  but  he 
must  have  been  delighted,  for  positively  his  very  back 
was  laughing  heartily.  The  President,  leaving  the 
Mayor  rather  surprised  at  the  unexpected  way  in  which 
the  interview  ended,  went  back  to  his  compartment, 
and  we  set  off  once  more  on  our  journey.  At  Trouville, 
the  station  was  very  nicely  decorated.  Carriages  were 
waiting  for  M.  Thiers  in  the  courtyard  where  there  was 
a  rather  large  crowd,  which  included  the  Mayor  and  the 
members  of  the  Municipal  Council,  The  Mayor  was  a 
man  well  known  to  M.  Thiers  and  to  all  of  us,  and  his 
little  speech  sounded  very  well. 

The  President  and  suite  drove  through  the  town, 
which  had  been  decorated  here  and  there,  to  the  Cordier 
Chalet.  He  was  greeted  cordially  by  the  population, 
whilst  from  the  top  of  the  Honfieur  road,  behind  the 
Hotel  des  Roches-Noires,  could  be  heard  the  firing  of  a 
cannon.  It  was  merely  by  chance,  and  was  rather 
ironical,  as  it  had  not  been  intended  in  honour  of  the 
President's  arrival.  This  incident  provided  members  of 
the  opposition,  who  happened  to  be  promenading  on  the 
famous  planks,  with  an  excellent  subject  for  endless  jokes. 


S6  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

M.  Thiers  was  soon  installed,  without  much  ceremony, 
in  the  Cordier  Chalet,  But  on  the  day  following  his 
arrival  it  was  evident  that  Trouville  was  inhabited  by 
some  one  of  note,  and  that  the  seaside  resort  had  become 
a  centre  of  importance.  The  trains  brought  visitors, 
whose  appearance  attrac;;ed  attention.  A  whole  troop 
of  individuals  who  had  favours  to  ask  swooped  down 
on  the  beach.  Men,  who  were  either  imperious  or 
ruined  and  desperate,  came  to  beg  for  themselves,  for 
their  cousins,  their  friends  or  their  sons,  prefectures, 
sub-prefectures,  consulates  or  tax  collectorships,  or  other 
government  appointments  of  all  kinds  and  of  all  classes. 
Women,  outrageously  made  up,  pushed  forward  into  the 
front  row  as  the  old  President  passed  by,  and  when  once 
there,  with  their  enticing  looks,  they  endeavoured  to 
bombard  with  their  eyes  the  dispenser  of  the  favours 
they  hoped  to  obtain. 

They  were  all  of  them  convinced  that  M.  Thiers  could 
do  anything  he  wished,  and  that  a  smile  from  him  meant, 
for  them,  at  least  six  thousand  francs  a  year. 

It  seemed  as  though  the  hour  for  sharing  the  spoils  had 
come.  The  Empire  in  its  fall  had  left  behind  the  widows 
of  the  Budget  and  the  orphans  of  the  Civil  List.  The 
eighteen  years  of  its  reign  had  sharpened  the  teeth  of 
those  who  had  only  seen  the  feast  at  a  distance,  and  all 
those  of  yesterday,  and  those  of  to-day,  were  asking  for 
their  share  of  the  taxpayers'  flesh. 

Besides  these  ordinary,  starving  creatures  "who  walked 
the  planks,"  as  the  saying  was  at  Trouville  at  the  time, 
there  were  also  certain  persons  in  a  higher  position,  who 
were  more  interesting  and  better  qualified  to  get  situa- 
tions.    Then  there  were  Ambassadors,  Members  of  the 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  57 

Assembly,  Ministers  of  yesterday  and  of  to-morrow, 
financiers  both  sound  and  unsound,  exotic  visitors,  women 
merely  elegant  or  titled  who  wanted  to  see  the  celebrities 
of  the  day  and  be  able  to  tell,  de  visu,  anything  that  would 
be  of  interest  at  their  receptions  or  at  their  dinner-parties, 
foreign  statesmen  who  suddenly  felt  the  need  of  visiting 
the  seaside  resorts  of  Normandy,  a  crowd  that  came  from 
all  parts,  a  pack  of  human  cards  which  chance,  or  political 
or  social  strategy,  mixed  together — all  these  flocked  round 
M.  Thiers.  The  salon  of  the  Cordier  Chalet,  more  often 
than  not,  contained  the  rarest  mixture  of  people,  and  as 
finally  every  one  felt  at  liberty  to  speak  freely,  nothing 
was  more  lively,  more  piquant  and  more  suggestive  than 
these  soirees  of  the  Trouville  Court,  during  which  the 
President  was  sometimes  dozing  peacefully  in  his  arm- 
chair in  the  midst  of  a  gentle  hum  of  voices  murmuring 
around  him. 

The  firing  or  testing  of  the  Reffye  cannon  on  the  top 
of  the  Honfleur  road  was  at  the  time  one  of  the  pastimes 
of  this  seaside  resort.  A  rough  enclosure  had  been 
erected  on  the  plateau  and  soldiers  were  stationed  there. 
A  few  cannons,  without  any  horses,  but  with  men 
and  ammunition,  had  been  placed  there. 

The  French  flag  waved  from  the  top  of  a  pole.  A  few 
artillerymen  mounted  guard  most  solemnly  and  a  crowd 
of  curious  and  well-dressed  people  were  always  loitering 
there. 

M.  Thiers,  nearly  every  day,  after  luncheon,  went  up 
to  the  plateau  attended  by  his  military  suite. 

The  soldiers  shouldered  arms.  The  artillery  officers 
grouped  themselves  round  him,  by  the  side  of  the  three 


S8  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

officers  of  his  household.  A  few  foreign  military  attaches 
walked  up  the  hill  and  were  present  at  the  experiments. 
In  the  distance,  on  the  moving  water,  an  old  black  barge, 
pierced  with  holes  like  a  battle-fiag,  tossing  and  rocking 
about,  served  as  a  target.  M.  Thiers,  with  his  gray  hat 
pushed  slightly  back,  his  big  field-glass  up  to  his  eyes, 
his  frock-coat  buttoned,  and  sometimes  affecting  the 
traditional  pose  of  Napoleon,  watched  the  balls  fly 
through  the  air,  saw  when  they  struck,  and  waved  his 
hat  enthusiastically  when  a  straight  shot  shook  the 
barge,  made  it  dance  about,  and  hollowed  out  a  gaping 
hole  in  its  already  perforated  hulk. 

The  crowd  applauded.  M.  Thiers  raised  his  hat  again, 
congratulated  the  artillerymen  who  had  pointed  the  gun 
and  those  who  had  fired  and  then  rejoined  Madame  Thiers 
and  Mademoiselle  Dosne,  and,  followed  by  an  imposing 
procession,  continued  his  daily  promenade  along  the 
sandy  road.  From  the  balcony,  where  I  was,  I  could 
see  him,  lifting  his  gray  hat  incessantly,  whilst,  as  he 
passed,  the  men  all  took  off  their  hats,  and  the  vieille 
garde,  in  brilliant  colours,  stood  aside  or  bowed  like  a 
cornfield  ravaged  by  the  hail  and  interspersed  with 
daisies,  corn-flowers  and  poppies. 

•  •  •  •  •  •  » 

My  stay  at  Trouville  had  already  extended  beyond  the 
time  which  had  been  allotted  me.  M.  Thiers  seemed 
annoyed  whenever  I  spoke  of  returning  to  Paris,  and  I 
began  to  wonder  how  I  should  manage  to  escape,  when, 
on  the  13th  of  August,  in  the  afternoon,  I  was  told  that 
the  President,  whom  I  had  seen  in  the  morning,  had 
just  started  for  Paris.  One  of  his  secretaries  informed 
me  that  he  had  been  recalled  suddenly  to  preside  at  a 


A  CHAMPAGNE   CONSPIRACY  59 

Council  which  was  to  meet  on  the  morrow,  and  after 
which  he  would  return  to  Trouville.  The  following 
day,  although  I  had  no  council  whatever  at  which  to 
preside,  I  took  the  same  route  as  the  President  and 
returned  to  Paris. 

It  was  with  a  great  sense  of  comfort  and  relief  that  I 
entered  my  own  home  once  more,  closing  the  doors  to  all 
that  went  on  in  the  outside  world,  and  giving  orders  that 
neither  letters  nor  newspapers  should  be  brought  to  me. 
For  the  last  twenty-five  years  this  has  been  my  method 
of  obtaining  absolute  rest.  On  the  15th,  however,  in  the 
evening,  in  spite  of  my  strict  orders,  the  outside  world 
did  succeed  in  penetrating  into  my  house  in  the  form 
of  an  official  despatch. 

"Come  back  as  soon  as  possible.  You  are  impatiently 
awaited." 

The  despatch,  on  yellow  paper,  was  signed  by  one  of 
M.  Thiers 's  secretaries.  That  was  the  end  of  my  short 
rest. 

I  felt  very  sad.  I  took  the  first  train  the  next  day  and 
had  a  compartment  to  myself.  I  did  not  open  a  news- 
paper, and  went  straight  from  the  station  to  the  Cordier 
Chalet. 

The  very  moment  I  arrived  I  was  struck  by  the  unusual 
attitude  of  things.  At  the  gateway  quite  a  number  of 
soldiers  and  policemen  had  been  stationed.  On  entering 
every  one  was  examined  with  visible  distrust,  and 
although  I  was  well  known,  I  had  to  undergo  a  sort  of 
progressive  inspection  before  crossing  the  first  threshold. 
From  the  gates  to  the  chalet  the  most  extraordinary 
precautions  appeared  to  have  been  taken.     There  were 


6o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

patrols,  or  men  who  seemed  to  be  acting  as  such,  walking 
along  the  paths,  and  through  the  leaves  of  the  summer 
arbours  I  could  see  the  disciples  of  "Saint  Detective," 
dressed  Hke  well-to-do  citizens  of  the  suburbs  of  Paris, 
promenading  about  warily  and  watching  over  the  welfare 
of  the  State.  The  man  servant  on  duty  introduced  me 
without  even  announcing  me.  I  was  expected.  M. 
Thiers  was  alone  in  the  large  drawing-room,  the  principal 
door  of  which,  leading  on  to  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  was 
open  to  the  sunshine.  He  rose  quickly  and  shook  hands 
with  me. 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  he  asked. 

"To  what  are  you  referring.  Monsieur  le  President?" 
I  answered. 

"To  what  am  I  referring?  Have  you  been  asleep  for 
the  last  twenty-four  hours?" 

The  reproach  was  well  deserved,  for  I  had  been  asleep 
for  the .  last  forty-eight  hours.  I  could  only  bow  in 
silence. 

"Well,  now,"  continued  M.  Thiers  laughing,  "you  are 
a  well-informed  correspondent !  Is  it  possible  that  you 
have  not  heard  about  the  conspiracy,  of  which  I  came 
very  near  being  the  victim  yesterday  afternoon  ?" 

"No,  really  I  have  not,"  I  answered,  "I  was  taking  my 
holiday,  and  as  my  work  consists  in  knowing  everything, 
my  holiday  consists  in  not  knowing  anything." 

"Oh,  well,"  continued  M.  Thiers  in  his  low,  hissing 
voice,  "yesterday  being  the  15th  of  August,  the  Emperor's 
birthday,  a  band  of  conspirators  in  a  Russian  boat 
approached  the  shore  and  as  they  fired  their  cannons 
they  shouted:  'Long  live  the  Emperor,'  just  at  the  time 
when  I  am  accustomed  to  rest  on  the  terrace    of   the 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  6i 

Roches-Noires.  They  went  toward  the  Hotel  des  Roches- 
Noires,  in  front  of  which  some  harmless-looking  little 
iDoats  were  tacking  about  near  the  shore,  whilst  the  big 
boat  had  gone  back  to  the  high  sea  and  was  also  tacking. 
The  plan  was  to  get  hold  of  me  and  carry  me  off  to  the 
ship.  You  see  at  once  the  consequences.  The  Assembly 
is  having  its  vacation.  There  is  no  doubt  a  watchword 
had  been  agreed  upon,  and  accomplices  were  waiting 
from  one  end  of  France  to  the  other  for  the  news  that  I 
was  captured.  They  would  then  have  brought  about  a 
general  rising ;  the  Emperor  would  have  landed  on  a  cer- 
tain point  of  the  coast,  and  they  would  have  endeavoured 
to  restore  the  Empire.  I  have  not  yet  the  list  of  all  the 
conspirators,  but  I  know  the  two  principal  ones.  First 
and  foremost  is  M.  Gunsbourg,  the  owner  of  the  Russian 
boat.  Oh,  as  for  him,  he  can  set  his  mind  at  rest !  Orloff 
came  at  once  and  declared  that  he  would  have  Gunsbourg 
recalled  and  his  boat  burned.  The  other  is  M.  Bertrand 
de  Valon,  son  of  the  Countess  de  Valon,  whom  I  saw  only 
a  few  days  ago.  I  promised  her  that  I  would  do  some- 
thing for  her  son,  not  knowing  that  he  was  a  Bonapartist. 
I  shall  send  them  both  to  the  Assize  Court,  where  they 
will  have  to  answer  the  charge  of  armed   conspiracy." 

I  was  simply  dumfounded  on  hearing  this  story.  How 
could  I  have  had  the  bad  luck  not  to  know  anything  about 
so  serious  a  matter  !  How  was  it  that  I,  after  accompany- 
ing M.  Thiers  to  Trouville  and  for  a  fortnight  keeping 
my  readers  well-informed  with  regard  to  his  doings  and 
movements — how  was  it  that  I,  who,  to  use  an  expression 
which  he  had  so  good-naturedly  applied  to  me,  had 
constituted  myself  his  "affectionate  historiographer," 
how  could  I  have  allowed  such  an  event  to  happen  without 


62  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

even  mentioning  it?  By  the  expression  of  my  face 
M.  Thiers  could  read  my  thoughts.  He  looked  at  me 
over  his  spectacles  and  came  close  up  to  me,  as  he  was 
accustomed  to  do  when  he  wanted  to  penetrate  any  one's 
inner  reflections. 

"We'll  make  up  for  all  this,"  he  said;  "I'm  delighted 
that  you  have  not  yet  written  anything  about  it.  You 
have  not,  as  they  say,  taken  up  your  position  yet." 

He  then  gave  me  the  details,  and  begged  me  to  read 
the  letter  to  him  which  I  was  to  send  to  my  paper  that 
same  night.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  asked  me 
such  a  thing,  and  when  I  left  him  I  was  somewhat  vexed 
at  his  request.  I  made  no  promise  about  the  matter. 
On  entering  the  Roches-Noires,  I  found  M.  Gunsbourg 
very  much  abashed.  Every  one  was  aware  that  I  had 
just  returned  and  that  I  had  seen  M.  Thiers,  Trouville 
is  too  small  a  place  for  that  not  to  have  been  known. 
It  was  rumoured  on  all  sides  that  I  had  gone  direct  to  the 
Cordier  Chalet,  and  that  I  had  just  come  from  there, 
after  a  conversation  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  about 
twenty  persons,  among  whom  was  M.  Gunsbourg, 
gathered  around  me. 

At  Trouville,  the  population  had  been  apprised  of 
M.  Thiers' s  anger,  and  was  eager  to  hear  what  terrible 
decisions  the  indignant  old  man  had  taken.  I  refused 
to  reply  to  any  question ;  I  sent  for  M.  Gunsbourg  and 
asked  him  to  come  to  the  rooms  on  the  groimd  floor 
which  had  been  reserved  for  me. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  look  of  consternation  on  the 
yoimg  man's  face  when  I  questioned  him  about  the  plot 
in  which  he  had  taken  so  active  a  part.  Recovering 
at  last  from   his  surprise,  and   imderstanding  that  M. 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  63 

Thiers  was  mistaken  and  that  people  had  deceived  him 
or  that  he  had  wanted  to  be  deceived,  with  an  accent  of 
truth  which  could  not  be  doubted,  and  taking  the  whole 
town  as  witness,  he  told  me  the  story  of  what  had  really- 
taken  place. 

He  had  come  to  Trouville  in  his  yacht  and  was  sailing 
round  the  coasts  of  the  English  Channel.  On  the  morning 
of  the  fifteenth  of  August  he  had  started  with  some 
of  his  friends,  among  whom  was  M.  Bertrand  de  Valon, 
with  the  idea  of  having  a  sail  and  a  lunch  out  at  sea. 
They  had  a  good  meal,  drank  copiously,  and  on  approach- 
ing the  shore  they  remembered,  in  spite  of  the  effect  of 
the  champagne,  that  the  fifteenth  of  August  was  the 
Emperor's  birthday,  and  so,  in  the  midst  of  the  noise  of 
corks  flying  out  of  the  bottles  and  the  firing  of  the  parade 
cannon  loaded  with  powder,  to  which  one  of  them  had  set 
a  light,  they  all  began  in  their  liveliness  and  folly  to 
shout,   "  Long  live  the  Emperor." 

The  crowd  understood  the  incident  and  roared  with 
laughter  at  them.  The  police  had  endeavoured  to 
capture  them,  but  the  crowd,  very  naturally,  had  taken 
their  part.  There  had  been  a  great  commotion,  and 
the  conspirators,  sobered  down  and  rather  ashamed  of 
themselves,  had  disappeared,  whilst  an  action  had  been 
commenced  against  the  owner  of  the  yacht  and  against 
M.  Bertrand  de  Valon,  who  had  remained  with  him. 
M.  Gunsbourg,  in  the  name  of  his  comrades,  begged  me 
to  explain  to  M.  Thiers  how  the  affair  had  come  about., 
to  express  to  him  the  regret  that  these  young  madcaps 
now  felt,  and  to  add  that  they  were  themselves  prepared 
to  apologise  to  him.  As  soon  as  M.  Gunsbourg  had 
gone  I  sent  for  the  Paris  evening  papers  of  the  fifteenth 


64  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

and  the  morning  papers  of  the  sixteenth,  which  I  had  not 
read  (all  the  above  had  taken  place  on  the  fifteenth),  and 
I  proceeded  to  read  them.  They  varied  in  tone,  style 
and  in  the  version  they  gave,  according  to  the  political 
opinion  of  the  paper  or  according  to  the  temperament 
of  the  reporter.  By  reading  all  these  stories  and 
comparing  all  the  information  I  obtained  elsewhere, 
it  was  quite  clear  to  me  that  the  event  had  been 
exaggerated  beyond  measure,  and  that,  if  the  young 
men  implicated  were  far  from  being  quite  innocent, 
they  were  also  far  from  being  really  guilty. 

Toward  the  end  of  dinner  that  evening  M.  Thiers  asked 
me,  quietly,  if  my  letter  were  written.  I  replied  that,  as 
it  would  have  been  too  late  for  the  post  that  day,  I  had 
postponed  it  for  the  next  morning ;  that  there  would  be  no 
time  lost,  as  I  was  not  going  to  give  the  items  of  news, 
but  was  going  to  explain  and  comment  on  the  event ;  and 
I  asked  him  to  discuss  the  subject  again  with  me. 

But  as  soon  as  I  endeavoured  to  attenuate  the  nature 
and  the  significance  of  the  incident,  M.  Thiers  grew 
angry  and  looked  at  me  distrustfully.  He  was  still 
furious,  or  he  pretended  to  be  so. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  people  abroad  understood  what 
had  happened,  and  the  Countess  de  Valon  summed  up 
the  general  opinion  in  a  letter  she  wrote  to  me  a  few 
days  later: 

"These  young  men,"  she  said,  "had  lunched  rather 
too  festively  out  at  sea,  and,  like  so  many  big  children, 
they  had  played  at  the  landing  of  the  Emperor — seven 
of  them !     It  was  more  like  a  charade  than  anything 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  65 

else.  That  is  my  explanation  of  their  freak,  and  that  is 
how  it  has  been  understood  abroad.  M.  Thiers  has  too 
much  common  sense,  and  is  too  wise,  to  give  to  this  piece 
of  child's  play  more  importance  than  it  deserves.  No 
doubt  certain  zealous  officials  thought  they  were  serving 
or  flattering  M.  Thiers  by  magnifying  the  incident,  and 
at  the  same  time  they  were  able  to  take  the  credit  of 
having  saved  him  from  danger," 

I  wrote  my  letter,  which  was  a  scathing  one.  An 
attorney  for  the  Republic  entrusted  with  the  case  would 
have  signed  it  with  both  hands.  I  read  it  to  M.  Thiers,  who 
was  delighted  with  it.  He  even  asked  me  to  soften  down 
a  few  sentences.  As  it  was  then  the  seventeenth  and  the 
news  was  growing  stale,  he  called  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  letter  would  only  reach  London  on  the 
eighteenth,  and  that  on  account  of  Sunday  it  would  only 
be  published  on  the  twentieth.  I  replied  that  it  would 
go  that  night  by  wire,  and  that  very  night  the  telegraph 
communicated  the  original  to  the  office. 

Is  there  any  need  for  me  to  add  that  the  letter  was 
never  intended  to  appear  and  that  it  never  did  appear ! 
My  newspaper  had  been  informed  on  the  morning  of  the 
seventeenth  of  what  had  happened,  of  what  was  then 
happening,  and  what  would  happen. 

But  thanks  to  the  letter  which  I  had  read  to  him, 
M.  Thiers  was  greatly  appeased  with  regard  to  the  con- 
spirators. He  even  allowed  me  to  say  that  my  state- 
ment of  the  case  had  been  harsher  than  the  gravity  of  the 
event  warranted. 

An  inquiry  was  instituted.  It  was  dragged  on  for  a  long 
time,  some  extraordinary  attenuations  being  given  to  the 


66  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

first  reports.  M.  Thiers  himself  now  came  over  to  my 
opinion  and  thought  that  my  letter  had  perhaps  gone  too 
far.  For  several  days  he  asked  for  the  Times.  His 
secretaries,  whom  I  had  warned,  invented  various  pre- 
texts for  explaining  the  absence  of  the  paper,  which 
was  never  to  be  found;  it  was  always  being  mislaid. 
After  three  or  four  days  M.  Thiers  appeared  to 
have  forgotten  about  it,  but  at  the  end  of  the  week, 
as  I  was  going  away,  one  evening  he  said  to  me  with 
a  sly  look: 

"Did  you  pay  for  that  wire?" 

"No,  Monsieur  le  President,"  I  answered,  "my  paper 
paid  for  it." 

M.  Thiers  came  nearer  and  looked  at  me  over  his 
spectacles : 

"  Did  you  know  that  it  would  not  appear?" 

"The  paper  was  free  to  publish  it,  Monsieur  le  Presi- 
dent." 

"Ah — well,  that  was  money  very  wisely  thrown  away. 
I  don't  regret  it."  And  then  after  a  minute  he  added: 
"They  no  doubt  thought  as  I  did,  that  your  letter  was 
too    severe " 


A  fortnight  later  the  conspirators  were  summoned 
to  appear  before  the  court  at  Pont-l'Eveque.  They 
were  each  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  sixteen  francs 
for  disturbance  of  the  peace.  But  M.  Thiers 
had  received  letters,  messages  and  telegrams  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  and  he  was  delighted. 
He    knew    that    in    order    to   be    truly   a    cousin    of 


A  CHAMPAGNE  CONSPIRACY  67 

kings  it  is  necessary  to  inspire  the  people  who  are 
fortunate  enough  to  be  living  under  your  reign  with 
the  violent  desire  of  ridding  themselves  at  any  price 
of  your  presence. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Alphonso  XII.  Proclaimed  King  of  Spain 

It  was  only  in  October,  1872,  if  I  remember  rightly — 
for  his  letter  bears  no  date — that  Laurence  Oliphant 
informed  me  that  he  had  just  heard  from  Mr.  Mowbray 
Morris,  then  manager  of  the  Times,  whose  duty  it  was 
to  appoint  the  correspondents  of  the  paper  and  their 
assistants,  to  the  effect  that  I  was  to  remain  definitely 
imder  his  orders,  Mr.  Charles  Austin  continuing  to  be 
attached  to  the  Paris  office  as  second  correspondent. 

Soon  after,  Laurence  proposed  that  I  should  take  up 
my  abode  with  his  mother  and  himself,  who  lived  in  a 
small  house  with  court  and  garden  in  the  Rue  du  Centre, 
now  the  Rue  Lamenais.  Oliphant  and  his  mother  lived 
on  the  first  floor;  my  wife,  my  adopted  daughter  and  I 
occupied  the  second  floor.  The  upper  stories,  as  well  as 
the  dining-room  on  the  ground  floor,  were  common  to  us 
both.  We  took  our  meals  together,  my  wife  having  charge 
of  all  the  domestic  arrangements.  The  anxieties  and 
practical  difficulties  attendant  upon  the  management 
of  a  double  household  of  this  sort  were  beyond  the  power 
of  Mrs.  Oliphant.  Like  so  many  English  ladies  who  have 
spent  much  time  in  the  colonies,  she  had  always  been  in 
the  habit  of  shifting  the  responsibility  of  domestic  and 
household  worries  upon  others  and  upon  her  servants. 

We  met  every  day  at  meals,  at  noon  and  at  seven 
o'clock.     In  the  morning  I   went  to  Versailles,   which 

68 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         69 

was  then  the  centre  of  political  information.  At  the 
luncheon  hour  I  was  back  in  Paris,  when  we  discussed 
the  information  that  I  had  gathered,  considering  it  from 
the  point  of  view  of  its  value  for  our  correspondence.  In 
the  evening  I  sent,  under  the  signature  of  Oliphant,  who 
had  relieved  me  of  the  duty  of  communicating  them  to 
him  in  advance,  all  those  items  of  news  which  would 
have  grown  stale  if  consigned  to  the  tardy  post,  and 
which,  owing  to  the  lateness  of  their  reaching  me,  I  was 
imable  to  communicate  to  my  chief. 

Oliphant,  as  I  have  said  before,  had  come  to  Europe 
and  France  by  order  of  Mr.  Harris,  who  still  continued 
to  be  a  prophet,  or  rather  his  prophet.  Harris  had  not 
told  him  why  he  was  to  come  to  Europe;  he  had  merely 
told  him  to  come.  Was  it  that  the  Prophet  did  not 
himself  know? 

In  any  case,  as  long  as  Oliphant  had  to  describe  to 
the  readers  of  the  Times  the  agitated  life  of  camps  with 
the  fever  of  revolutions  and  the  thousand  crises  that 
attended  the  painful  situation  in  France  during  the  war 
and  the  Revolution,  he  proved  himself  to  be  a  marvellous 
correspondent;  but  when  the  country,  apparently  ex- 
hausted, crushed  and  scorched  under  fire  and  war, 
attempted  with  extraordinary  elasticity  to  raise  itself  from 
the  ruins  and  walk  again  with  head  erect  among  the 
nations,  Laurence  Oliphant  felt  himself,  as  it  were,  humiH- 
ated  at  having  to  do  the  work  of  a  peaceful  and  faithful 
historian,    which  was   now  incumbent   upon   him. 

His  relations  with  the  Times,  therefore,  became  now 
more  and  more  irksome,  and  it  was  only  by  a  strong 
effort  that  he  succeeded  in  fulfilling  his  daily  task. 
His   attitude   toward   the   Thiers   Government   was   an 


70  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

indication  of  his  state  of  mind  at  this  time.  He  always 
refused  to  go  to  Versailles  to  see  M.  Thiers,  and  when 
he  did  see  him  he  was  irritated  and  almost  haughty, 
and  treated  the  opinions  and  theories  of  M.  Thiers  with 
a  kind  of  ironical  and  supercilious  indulgence  very  much 
like  disdain.  He  refused  the  offer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour  almost  rudely,  as  though  the  Red  Rosette  were 
intended  as  a  badge  of  servitude.  His  young  wife,  whose 
aspirations  were  more  elevated  than  his,  perhaps,  and 
more  romantic,  could  not  be  satisfied  by  this  daily  task, 
a  little  too  exactingly  regular,  so  that  she  was  not  likely 
to  induce  him  to  love  it  any  the  more.  He  threw  the 
bridle  upon  my  neck,  approved  in  advance  of  all  my 
communications,  and  received  them  rather  with  the 
pleasure  of  a  reader  than  with  the  attention  of  a  corre- 
spondent called  upon  to  render  them  public.  These 
tendencies  were  often  prejudicial  to  the  best  exercise  of 
his  abilities,  and  clearly  presaged  the  end. 

I  was  not  surprised,  therefore,  when,  in  the  year  1873, 
he  announced  to  me  one  day  that  as  a  result  of  some 
rather  sharp  correspondence  between  Mr.  Macdonald, 
then  manager  of  the  Times,  and  himself,  he  had  just 
sent  in  his  resignation  as  special  correspondent  of  that 
paper  in  France. 

Some  days  later  he  introduced  me  to  his  successor.  It 
was  Mr.  Frederic  Hardman,  whom  I  had  succeeded  at 
the  start  and  replaced  afterward.  It  did  not  take  long 
for  me  to  understand,  and  undoubtedly  Mr.  Hardman 
understood  also,  that  we  should  have  many  difficulties 
in  our  intercourse. 

Mr.  Frederic  Hardman  was  a  veteran  among  Times 
correspondents.      His    position,   his   great  loyalty,   the 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING  71 

uprightness  of  his  character,  his  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  the  paper,  and  his  fine  talent  and  great  experience 
had  won  for  him  the  friendship  of  his  chiefs  and  of  all 
connected  with  the  Times.  He  had  lived  for  a  long 
period  in  Spain,  and  he  had  very  accurate  notions  in 
regard  to  that  country  and  its  political  parties,  then 
so  eagerly  wrangling  among  themselves.  He  had  lived 
in  Rome  and  in  Germany  as  well ;  he  knew  many  states- 
men in  all  countries,  and  he  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
men  of  the  old  regime  in  France. 

But  the  new  political  structure  and  the  men  who  were 
at  this  moment  governing  France  were  unknown  to  him. 
He  did  not  see  that  defeat  had  produced  in  every  one  a 
nervous  condition,  a  kind  of  chronic  distrust,  something 
bitter  in  the  feelings  toward  foreigners  and  everything 
foreign. 

His  first  attempts  to  seek  information  and  to  put 
together  some  elements  of  work  were  not  a  success,  and 
he  generally  summed  up  the  result  with  a  "There  is 
nothing  new."  He  had,  besides,  the  American 
method.  He  took  down  the  words  that  were  said 
to  him  in  a  note-book  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  a 
method  which  in  France  is  infallible  for  learning  abso- 
lutely nothing;  for,  as  M.  Duclerc  said,  "This  method 
of  cross-examination  puts  you  immediately  on  the  defen- 
sive, and  shuts  your  mouth  while  it  opens  your  eyes." 

After  some  days'  trial  he  explained  to  me  that  he  was 
anxious  to  arrange  our  work  as  I  had  done  before  with 
Oliphant;  that  I  was  to  go  in  search  of  information,  and 
that  he  would  make  my  results  the  theme  of  correspon- 
dence. He  left  me  also  the  department  of  the  prepara- 
tion of  rapid  news  necessitating  short  despatches. 


72  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

This  plan  worked  well  for  some  time.  Unfortunately 
the  situation  was  false.  He  was  my  chief,  but  he  was 
unknown  to  the  majority  of  Frenchmen,  and  whenever 
we  found  ourselves  together  in  the  same  salon,  in  spite 
of  all  precautions  that  I  took,  the  positions,  in  the  eyes 
of  a  third  person,  seemed  inverted.  Some  incidents, 
unfortunate,  but  inevitable,  complicated  matters.  Once 
he  went  to  the  Elysee,  handing  his  card  to  the  usher,  in 
order  to  speak  to  Viscount  d'Harcourt,  the  President's 
secretary.  The  usher  replied  that  M.  d'Harcourt  could 
not  be  seen. 

"Tell  him  that  it  is  the  correspondent  of  the  Times 
who  wishes  to  see  him." 

The  usher  looked  at  him  rudely:  "Pardon  me,"  he 
said,  "but  the  correspondent  of  the  Times  has  just  left 
the   Secretary." 

On  another  occasion  one  of  his  friends.  Lord  X , 

left  a  visiting  card  at  the  Hotel  Chatham,  to  be  sent  to 
the  correspondent  of  the  Times.  It  was  taken  to  my 
house.  As  it  constantly  happens  for  one  to  receive 
cards  from  unknown  persons,  I  thought  that  this  card 
was  meant  for  me,  and  I  returned  the  visit. 

The  crisis  after  these  incidents  became  acute.  I  had 
arranged,  at  Mr.  Macdonald's  order,  the  special  wire  to 
the  Times,  which  was  the  first  then  established,  and  which 
was  used  for  the  first  time  on  May  4,  1874. 

Mr.  Hardman,  without  any  experience  in  that  kind 
of  work,  was  obliged  to  adapt  himself  to  this  most  exacting 
method  of  improvising  upon  the  most  recent  events  that 
were  in  progress  as  one  wrote  an  account  of  them.  Letters 
logically  conceived  throughout  had  to  be  written  while 
the  telegraph  waited,  without  opportunity  for  revision. 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         73 

This  had  a  baneful  effect ;  the  strain  affected  the  health, 
temper  and  nervous  system  of  Mr.  Hardman,  and  made 
collaboration  with  him  impossible.  Four  times  did 
pressing  telegraphic  recalls  to  Paris  interrupt  my  holidays, 
and  finally,  when  I  was  summoned  thither  a  fifth  time, 
after  an  absence  of  only  three  days,  I  returned  obediently, 
but  resolved  to  send  in  my  resignation,  which  now 
seemed  inevitable. 

I  had  neither  the  wish  nor  the  power  to  act  otherwise, 
and  so  once  more  I  was  on  the  point,  notwithstanding 
that  I  had  reached  an  advanced  time  of  life,  of  abandoning 
a  career  for  which  I  had  so  sincere  an  enthusiasm  and  to 
which  I  had  dreamed  of  devoting  the  remainder  of  my 
existence.  But  on  reaching  Paris  I  learned  that  Mr, 
Hardman  was  seriously  ill. 

He  was  then  living  across  the  river  in  the  Rue  Solferino. 
It  was  his  habit,  after  the  nervous  excitement  of  his 
work,  to  return  on  foot  to  his  house  always  at  a  late  hour 
of  the  night — sometimes,  indeed,  in  the  early  morning, 
thus  courting  the  illness  which  was  destined  to  carry  him 
away.  It  was  pleurisy,  contracted  during  his  walk, 
on  coming  out  from  his  work  in  a  state  of  perspiration 
into  the  icy  air,  which  finally,  after  a  few  days  of  resistance, 
proved  fatal.  In  every  sense  of  the  word,  he  was  upright 
and  devoted  to  his  duty,  and  he  died  from  having  heroic- 
ally undertaken  something  beyond  his  strength.  It 
was  neither  our  characters  nor  our  sympathies  nor  our 
wills  that  made  our  intercourse  so  difficult — nay,  I 
may  say  all  but  impossible — but  it  was  the  falsity  of 
the  position  in  which  we  happened  to  be  placed.  None 
of  my  friends  who  knew  me  well  were  surprised  to  see 
me  weeping  sincerely  at  the  premature  death  of  this 


74  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

excellent  man.  The  Times  devoted  to  him  an  eloquent 
article,  full  of  kind  sentiment,  which,  notwithstanding  its 
notes  of  eulogy,  scarcely  did  him  justice,  and  then — all 
was  over. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  more  melancholy  than 
the  sudden  silence  that  falls  round  the  tomb  of  those 
painstaking,  steady  workers  who  follow  with  unwearying 
conscientiousness  up  to  the  very  end  the  furrow  of  their 
daily  task,  without  arousing  hatred,  without  provoking 
jealousy,  and  who  leave  at  the  last  the  memory  of  a  calent 
to  which  every  one  pays  equal  homage.  In  the  journal- 
istic career  posthumous  enthusiasm  is  never  noisy. 
Even  beyond  the  tomb  the  fame  of  the  dead  is  an  offense, 
and  the  very  haters  seem  to  prefer  to  hold  their  peace, 
lest  in  attempting  to  gain  satisfaction  they  revive  the 
memory  of  the  contestants  who  have  disappeared. 

Nothing  is  more  melancholy  than  the  startling  rapidity 
with  which  these  turbulent  existences,  linked  in  a  merely 
ephemeral  work,  enter  into  the  dark  oblivion  of  the 
tomb.  The  most  distinguished  among  them  scarcely 
survive,  and  future  generations  know  them  not,  because 
even  living  generations  have  passed  them  by  in  silence. 
The  Royer  CoUards,  the  Benjamin  Constants,  the  Thiers, 
have  survived  in  the  memory  of  men  not  because  they 
were  journalists,  but  in  spite  of  it.  Armand  Carrel  is 
not  yet  forgotten  because  he  was  killed  in  a  duel  with 
Girardin;  and  the  latter,  who  was  a  man  of  business  as 
well  as  a  journalist,  lives  because  he  was  the  promoter 
of  postal  reform  rather  than  because  for  forty  years  he 
had  been  the  most  active  of  journalists.  Laurence 
Oliphant's  life  was  written  because  he  lived  an  existence 
full  of  agitation,  because  he  was  nearly  massacred  in  Japan, 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         75 

because  he  published  books  of  satire  and  philosophy, 
because  his  ever-inquiring  mind  pursued,  beyond  the 
barriers  of  reality,  the  solution  of  problems  that  con- 
stantly escaped  his  insight  and  his  power,  and  because 
in  the  solitude  of  Haifa,  scaling  in  his  turn  Mount  Carmel, 
he  sought  to  preach  from  its  heights  a  new  law  which  he 
believed  to  be  true. 

But  no  one  has  dreamed,  or  dreams,  so  far  as  I  know,  of 
writing  the  life  of  that  admirable  journalist,  John  Delane, 
the  editor  of  the  Times.  For  thirty-two  years  he  was 
the  Moltke  of  a  venerated  chief,  sacrificing  to  the 
triumph  of  the  common  work  his  right  of  remonstrance. 
Under  the  reign  of  Mr.  John  Walter,  the  third  of  the 
dynasty  which  gave  to  England  the  uncontested  power 
of  the  Times,  John  Delane,  for  thirty-two  years,  without 
even  leaving  behind  him  memoirs  which  could  recall  his 
success,  led  his  troops  to  continual  victories.  He  began 
his  fruitful  career  almost  at  the  accession  of  Queen 
Victoria.  He  was  editor-in-chief  of  the  Times  at  the 
age  at  which  Pitt  became  Prime  Minister.  At  different 
epochs,  and  in  the  midst  of  dissimilar  generations,  these 
two — the  one  before  the  admiring  gaze  of  the  entire 
world,  the  other  in  the  distant  silence  of  the  editorial 
room;  the  one  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  crowd,  the 
other  with  only  the  approval  of  his  conscience — worked 
with  equally  precocious  qualities  and  displayed  equal 
genius  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  varied  tasks  and 
in  the  steady  realisation  of  their  designs. 

During  John  Delane's  career  the  following  events  took 
place:  The  Revolution  of  1848,  the  coup  d'etat  of  the 
second  of  December,  the  proclamation  of  the  Second 
Empire,  the  Crimean  War,  the  Italian  War,  the  Mexican 


76  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

Expedition,  that  against  Schleswig-Holstein,  and  the  war 
of  1866,  the  war  of  1870,  the  Commune,  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  German  Empire,  the  DuaHsm  in  Austria,  the 
Russo-Hungarian  campaign,  the  conception  and  the 
opening  of  the  Suez  Canal,  the  Nihilist  plots,  the  great 
reforms  that  mark  the  internal  policy  of  the  reign  of 
Queen  Victoria,  and  a  thousand  others  which  for  the 
moment  I  forget.  Always  and  everywhere  the  dominant 
voice  of  his  journal  sounded  far  above  the  clamour  of  the 
combatants,  and  everywhere  and  always  he  lent  to  those 
to  whom  he  gave  his  support  a  real  power,  while  he 
weakened  incontestably  those  against  whom  he  fought. 
Yet  when  he  died  not  a  single  voice  in  the  world  among 
his  bitterest  opponents  was  raised  in  disparagement  of 
his  conscientiousness,  his  justice  and  his  honour.  For 
thirty-two  years  he  allowed  nothing  to  prevent  his 
going  to  his  room  in  the  Times  at  half-past  ten  in  the 
evening  and  leaving  it  at  half-past  four.  He  gave  his 
entire  life  to  this  silent  work  by  night,  subordinating  to  it 
everything  save  independence  of  judgment,  and  having 
as  his  only  recompense  the  one  single  ambition  to  be  true. 
During  these  thirty-two  years  he  made  and  unmade 
hundreds  of  reputations  which  the  world,  by  involuntary 
homage  rendered  to  the  infallibility  of  his  judgment,  has 
left  in  the  place  to  which  he  assigned  them.  It  has  for- 
gotten one  thing,  however — ^to  reserve  for  John  Delane  a 
corner  in  its  memory.  It  has  forgotten  that  its  duty  was 
not  to  allow  him  to  be  so  promptly  submerged  by  events. 
It  is  almost  with  a  feeling  of  bitterness  that  I  have  recalled 
the  great  career  of  this  toiler,  unknown  among  the 
crowd,  and  yet  so  worthy  to  figure  among  those  who  are 
placed  in  the  front  ranks  of  their  times. 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         77 

On  the  morning  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Hardman  I  received 
a  very  touching  letter  from  Mr.  Macdonald,  who  had 
loved  him  so  much.  He  invited  me  to  continue  till 
further  orders  the  duties  of  Paris  correspondent  of  the 
paper,  with  the  valuable  collaboration  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Alger, 
who  very  long  occupied,  with  recognised  ability,  the 
same  post.  We  set  ourselves  bravely  to  our  task.  They 
were  difficult  months  that  followed.  My  pro  visionary 
situation  prevented  my  having  the  absolute  authority 
that  was  necessary  for  my  work.  Furthermore,  there 
was  a  question  as  to  continuing  the  telegraphic  corre- 
spondence, which  was  still  an  experiment,  the  success  of 
which  was  watched  everywhere  with  jealous   anxiety. 

The  Times  remained  for  some  time  the  only  paper  in 
the  world  possessing  a  private  wire,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  justify  this  fact  to  its  readers  as  well  as  to  itself.  We 
accomplished  this  result,  however,  for  to-day  the  impor- 
tant papers  without  a  special  wire  are  the  exception. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October  that  Mr.  Hardman 
died.  As  soon  as  his  death  was  known,  on  every  side 
men  from  all  countries  and  from  all  ranks,  of  the  most 
varied  talents,  origin  or  position,  applied  for  the  post  of 
Paris  representative  of  the  Times.  At  every  moment 
the  papers  announced  the  appointment  of  one  or  the 
other,  but  never,  I  must  say,  was  I  mentioned  for  the 
post.  The  Times  itself  reserved  to  me  a  very  curious 
surprise.  Mr.  John  Delane  was  still  the  editor-in-chief. 
He  knew  me  personally,  but  it  was  his  rule  never  to 
write  directly  to  correspondents,  but  only  officially  as  the 
head  of  the  staff.  I  had  never  had  any  direct  personal 
correspondence   with   him. 

While  I  was  thus  filling  the  vacant  post  in  the  interim, 


78  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

I  wrote  one  day  a  letter  entitled  "De  Profundis," 
predicting  the  approaching  fall  of  the  De  Cissy  cabinet. 
The  letter  appeared  with  comment  in  a  leading  article, 
but  the  next  day  came  a  telegram  from  Mr.  Delane  asking 
who  was  the  author  of  it.  A  similar  thing  happened 
four  or  five  times,  and  I  learned — which  was,  indeed,  the 
inevitable  consequence  of  anonymity — that  the  editor  of 
the  paper  himself  did  not  quite  know  what  to  think  of 
my  ability  as  a  writer  and  a  journalist. 

Three  months  rolled  by  in  this  way.  During  those 
months  a  hundred  rumours  were  bruited  about,  but  not 
a  word  had  been  exchanged  between  the  journal  and  my- 
self in  regard  to  my  present  or  future  situation.  All  that 
I  knew  was  that,  whosoever  might  be  the  head  appointed 
over  me,  I  could  do  nothing  but  withdraw.  My  experi- 
ence with  Mr.  Hardman  had  enlightened  me,  and  the 
position  that  I  occupied  after  his  death  made  a  similar 
prospect  still  more  intolerable.  However,  I  did  nothing 
to  put  an  end  to  this  state  of  things.  I  understood  that 
the  paper,  in  presence  of  the  most  tempting  offers,  know- 
ing the  difficulties  that  would  attend  my  appointment, 
and  realising  the  necessity  of  conducting  itself  according 
to  a  certain  etiquette,  as  one  might  say,  on  account  of 
its  unique  position  in  the  world's  press,  would  take  a  long 
time  to  consider.  However  great  my  annoyance  might 
be,  I  was  prepared  to  bow  before  its  decision. 

This  decision  came  at  the  end  of  the  year  1874.  The 
service  had  not  suffered.  The  special  wire  was  proving 
its  value  more  and  more;  the  Paris  correspondence, 
sustained  by  the  combined  efforts  of  my  collaborator  and 
myself,  had  succeeded  in  gaining  the  approbation  of  our 
chiefs.     There  appeared  to  be  no  reason  why  the  situa- 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         79 

tion,  in  itself  provisional  and  precarious,  should  not  be 
prolonged  for  some  time  stiU.  But  the  31st  of  December, 
1874,  ushered  in  an  event  which  put  a  sudden  end  to 
the  delay  of  my  chiefs. 

The  evening  of  that  day  I  had  gone  to  bed  very  late. 
The  day  was  icy  cold;  snow  covered  all  Paris,  Wearied 
out  and  suffering  from  a  slight  fever,  I  had  remained  in 
bed,  and  was  on  the  point  of  sending  to  Mr.  Alger,  to  inform 
him  of  my  condition,  in  order  to  discuss  with  him  what 
food  we  could  supply  to  that  Minotaur  called  the  private 
wire,  when  the  evening  papers  were  brought  to  me. 
The  Liberie,  whose  proprietors  were  then  on  excellent 
terms  with  the  Spanish  dynasty,  announced  by  telegraph, 
and  with  some  words  of  comment,  that  a  pronunciamento, 
provoked  by  Martinez  Campos,  had  taken  place  in  Spain, 
and  that  the  Prince  of  Asturias,  then  in  Paris,  had  been 
proclaimed  King  under  the  title  of  Alphonso  XII. 

It  was  a  veritable  thunderclap. 

Half  an  hour  later  I  was  at  the  Spanish  Embassy, 
which,  at  the  time,  was  under  M.  Abarzuzza,  a  revolution- 
ary Spaniard  of  the  first  water  and  who  was  then  walking 
in  the  flower-beds  of  diplomacy  with,  one  might  say, 
the  easy  lightness  of  an  elephant.  He  received  me  very 
ironically,  after  I  had  waited  for  more  than  an  hour — • 
a  thing  not  imnatural,  however,  as  some  three  hun- 
dred people  were  pressing  into  his  waiting-rooms.  I 
had  remained  below  in  order  to  watch  those  who 
entered  or  departed  by  the  only  door  admitting 
to  the  Embassy,  and  to  see  if  the  Ambassador  re- 
ceived many  telegrams  from  abroad.  When  a  revo- 
lution breaks  out  in  a  country,  as  long  as  the 
Government  remains  master  of  the  situation  its  repre- 


8o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

sentatives  are  sure  to  receive  ample  information;  for 
there  is  nothing  more  agreeable  than  preparing  bulletins 
of  victory.  But  as  soon  as  the  situation  changes,  it  is 
the  Ambassadors  who  send  the  eager  telegrams — which 
so  often  do  not  reach  their  destination,  however,  and  to 
which,  even  when  they  do,  there  is  frequently  no  reply. 
On  this  occasion  I  saw  messengers  continually  hurrying 
out  with  half -concealed  despatches  in  their  hands,  to  be 
sent  by  telegraph,  but  during  all  the  time  that  I  waited 
I  did  not  see  a  single  telegraphic  message  entering  the 
Embassy, 

When  finally  I  was  conducted  to  the  Ambassador,  in 
spite  of  the  irony  with  which  he  treated  the  telegram  in 
the  papers,  I  had  almost  made  up  my  mind  as  to  its  truth. 
He  told  me  that  it  was  merely  an  abortive  revolution; 
that  a  few  soldiers,  speedily  silenced,  had  cried  out 
"  Viva  el  Rey"  but  that  at  that  moment — it  was  then 
half -past  six — the  excitement  had  been  suppressed,  order 
had  been  reestablished  in  Madrid,  the  Government 
having  taken  energetic  measures,  and  he  authorised  me 
to  telegraph  to  my  paper  that  the  attempt  to  restore 
the  monarchy  had  been  easily  suppressed  by  the 
Government. 

In  such  a  case,  as  in  many  others,  when  it  is  a  question 
of  serving  his  Government  or  serving  himself,  an  Ambassa- 
dor will  never  hesitate  to  throw  a  journalist  quite  over- 
board and  to  sacrifice  him  body  and  soul,  and,  if  he  can, 
his  reputation  and  his  honour,  to  further  his  own  designs. 
I  left  the  Ambassador  convinced  that  the  pronunciamento 
of  Martinez  Campos  had  succeeded,  and  I  resolved  not 
to  repeat  the  story  he  had  told  me,  or  at  least  to  send 
it  with_  pointed  comments.     I  did  not  dare  to  give  a 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         8i 

positive  form  to  my  conviction  by  sending  an  absolutely 
contrary  telegram,  for  I  had  no  positive  proof  of  the 
truth  of  that  of  which  I  was  persuaded,  and  I  could  not 
discover  any  justifying  facts,  I  returned  discouraged 
enough,  for  the  time  at  my  disposal  was  short  and  the 
fever  had  not  yet  left  me.  But  I  ordered  a  carriage  to 
be  in  readiness,  and  with  weariness  and  disappointment 
betook  myself  to  my  chamber  in  a  state  almost  of 
madness,  because  I  could  see  no  means  of  gaining  better 
information. 

Queen  Isabella,  to  be  sure,  with  the  Prince  of  Asturias, 
occupied  the  Hotel  Basilewski,  only  a  few  doors  from  my 
house,  but  I  neither  knew  her  nor  her  son,  nor  any 
member  of  their  entourage,  and  it  was  not  probable — 
indeed,  it  was  scarcely  possible — that  in  the  circumstances 
and  at  such  a  moment  I  should  be  received.  Moreover, 
in  returning  I  had  instinctively  passed  by  the  Avenue 
Kleber  in  front  of  the  Hotel  Basilewski  (the  Palais  de 
Castille),  as  if  to  see  whether  the  walls  of  this  house 
could  not  tell  me  something,  I  saw  an  enormous  crowd 
in  front  of  the  gates,  which  were  all  closed,  and  some 
policemen  who  had  been  sent  in  haste  were  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  holding  the  throng  in  check,  I 
imagined  that  all  the  reporters  of  the  Paris  papers  and 
all  the  correspondents  of  foreign  papers  were  mingled 
in  this  crowd,  trampling  down  the  snow.  I  considered 
it  useless  to  increase  the  number,  yet  I  was  more  and 
more  in  despair  at  my  helplessness. 

On  the  evening  of  the  31st  of  December  it  was  use- 
less to  try  to  find  any  members  of  the  Government  in 
Paris,  and  as  the  official  seat  was  at  Versailles  there 
seemed  no  issue  out  of  my  difficulties. 


82  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

Suddenly  an  idea  flashed  across  my  brain. 

Some  time  previously  I  had  met  at  the  Spanish  Em- 
bassy, then  at  Versailles,  Count  de  Banuelos,  a  Senator  of 
Spain,  who  had  spoken  in  warm  terms  of  the  Queen  and 
her  son,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  England,  and  who 
was  a  careful  reader  of  the  Times.  He  had  been  quite 
charming  to  me.  I  had  called  upon  him  and  had  been 
introduced  to  the  most  delightful  of  families,  consisting 
of  a  very  gracious  and  affable  mother  and  two  charming 
girls.  His  private  residence,  27  Rue  de  Lisbonne,  was 
near  at  hand. 

It  was  nine  o'clock. 

I  rushed  down  to  my  carriage  and  gave  the  address 
to  the  coachman.  Two  minutes  after  I  arrived  at  the 
Banuelos  mansion.  As  I  entered  the  hall,  the  Count, 
one  of  the  finest-looking  men  of  his  time,  in  full  dress, 
followed  by  his  two  daughters,  also  in  evening  dress, 
was  descending  the  stairs  to  enter  the  salon  on  the 
ground  floor. 

I  was  extremely  embarrassed.  I  had  come  by  instinct 
at  a  venture,  without  plan  or  forethought  and  without 
knowing  exactly  why. 

On  seeing  these  preparations,  indicating  that  the 
Count  was  about  to  go  to  a  ball,  I  understood  that  I 
could  expect  no  help  from  him,  for  at  the  moment  the 
idea  came  to  me  that  the  only  way  of  penetrating  into  the 
Palace  of  Castille  was  to  go  with  him. 

I  asked  him  if  he  had  any  details.  He  replied  that  he 
had  learned  the  news  that  very  moment,  that  he  had 
previous  reasons  for  thinking  it  true,  and  that  as  he  was 
going  to  a  ball  at  the  Duchess  de  Malakoff's,  with  his 
two  daughters,  he  intended  to  congratulate  the  future 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         83 

King  on  the  following  day,  I  had  not  advanced  very- 
far  ;  the  two  daughters,  who  were  ready  and  impatient  to 
go,  came  to  ask  for  their  father. 

During  this  conversation  I  had  become  convinced 
that  Count  Banuelos  alone  could  open  to  me  the  doors 
of  the  Palais  de  Castille,  and  that  there  and  there  only 
could  I  hope  to  obtain  any  information.  But  at  my 
first  suggestion  in  this  direction  the  two  charming  girls 
were  in  consternation.  Politics  did  not  much  interest 
them.  The  yotmg  Prince  of  Asturias,  whom  they  greatly 
liked,  had  been  proclaimed  King,  but  the  rest  mattered 
little,  and  their  dance  cards  were  filled  with  engagements, 
and  their  partners  were  waiting.  They  were  likely  to 
pain  many  and  disappoint  others,  and  to  be  unkind  to 
the  beautiful  and  good  lady,  their  hostess,  who  counted 
upon  them.  All  this  drove  me  to  despair.  Without 
insisting,  I  kissed  the  young  ladies,  but  my  face  betrayed 
the  bitter  disappointment  I  felt  as  I  slowly  rose  to  take 
leave.  My  disappointment  was  so  obvious  that  the 
two  girls  were  moved,  and  simultaneously,  without 
understanding  why  I  was  so  much  troubled,  they  con- 
sented to  let  their  father  go. 

It  was  then  for  me  to  refuse,  I  reproached  myself 
with  great  selfishness  for  having  troubled  the  two  girls, 
without  even  letting  them  know  why  they  were  called 
upon  to  sacrifice  themselves  so  completely  for  me,  and  I 
prepared  to  take  my  departure. 

At  that  moment  the  door  of  the  salon  opened,  and  the 
Countess  de  Banuelos,  her  face  as  sympathetic  as  ever, 
especially  resplendent,  for  the  idea  of  pleasing  others 
was  to  her  a  very  great  pleasure,  now  appeared  in  full 
dress.     No  sooner  had  she  learned  the  difficulty  than 


84 


MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 


she  immediately  solved  the  entire  situation ;  she  went  up 
to  her  room  and  came  down  ready  to  take  her  daughters 
to  the  Duchess  de  Malakoff's,  where  she  promised  to 
await  her  husband's  arrival  to  relieve  her  of  her  charge. 
There,  as  always,  the  soft  hand  of  a  woman  removed  the 
obstacles  that  lay  in  the  pathway  of  my  hfe.  With  her 
intervention  all  difficulties  disappeared.  We  put  the 
ladies  into  their  carriage,  and  the  Coimt  and  I  betook 
ourselves  to  mine,  ordering  the  coachman  to  drive  to 
the  Palais  de  Castille. 

The  crowd  there  was  as  great  as  ever,  and  the  greatest 
precautions  had  been  taken  against  intruders.  Since 
nine  that  night  nobody  had  been  allowed  to  enter.  A 
Commissary  of  Police,  with  a  sufficiently  strong  squadron 
of  policemen  under  his  orders,  was  guarding  the  great 
gateways  opening  on  the  courtyard.  Our  carriage  was 
stopped  even  before  we  had  penetrated  the  crowd. 

Count  Banuelos  put  out  his  head,  summoned  a  police- 
man and  begged  him  to  send  for  the  Commissary.  The 
Coimt  explained  who  he  was,  and  informed  him  that  he 
was  going  to  salute  the  King.  The  Commissary  excused 
himself  with  great  politeness,  but  said  that  he  could  not 
allow  us  to  pass.  Coimt  Banuelos  then  gave  him  his 
card  and  begged  him  to  send  it  by  one  of  his  men  to 
Count  Morphy,  Governor  of  the  Prince  of  Asturias, 
henceforth  King  of  Spain.  The  Commissary  of  PoHce 
glanced  at  the  card,  bowed  on  reading  the  name  that  it 
bore,  and  granted  the  request.  Ten  minutes  later  a 
strong  cordon  of  police  made  a  passage  in  the  crowd  for 
our  carriage,  men  protected  us  and  defended  the  gate,  in 
order  to  prevent  a  sudden  rush  within  the  courtyard.  I 
was  seated  in  the  dark  comer  of  the  carriage,  and  as  we 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         85 

were  driven  through  the  great  doorway  the  gates  were 
closed  quickly  behind  us.  A  journalist  who  happened 
to  be  there,  however,  recognised  my  driver. 

I  heard  him  crying,  "It  is  Blowitz's  carriage,"  and  I 
also  caught  the  sound  of  other  cries  and  shouts  of 
objection  as  we  ascended  the  stone  steps  leading  to 
the  vestibule  of  the  palace. 

There  was  great  commotion  everywhere.  All  the 
intimate  friends  of  the  royal  palace  had  been  ordered 
thither,  and  they  went  and  came,  joyous  salutations 
resounding  throughout  the  house  in  a  fashion  that  seri- 
ously compromised  the  etiquette  of  the  Spanish  Court. 
Here  one  felt  that  beyond  all  doubt  the  prommcia- 
mento  had  indeed  succeeded,  and  that  Alphonso  XII. 
had  certainly  been  proclaimed  and  recognised  as  King 
of  Spain. 

Count  Morphy  came  to  meet  us.  After  the  introduc- 
tions were  over,  he  said  to  Count  Banuelos :  ' '  The  King 
will  see  you  with  great  pleasure ;  and  as  for  you,  monsieur, 
come  in  here,  I  beg  you,  into  the  King's  study,  where  he 
has  been  till  just  now.  I  will  tell  the  King  that  you 
are  here.  I  will  explain  the  object  of  your  visit  and  will 
return  to  tell  you  what  he  authorises  me  to  say  to  you." 

All  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  know  Count 
Morphy  will  understand  that  I  had  reason  to  congratulate 
myself  on  my  introduction  to  one  of  the  most  amiable, 
accomplished  and  refined  of  gentlemen.  Every  time  my 
good  star  has  brought  me  since  into  his  presence — at 
Madrid  during  the  first  marriage  of  the  King,  and  at 
Paris  during  the  painful  incidents  of  the  return  from 
Germany — I  recognised  in  him  the  same  man,  as  kind, 
as  sympathetic  and  amiable  to  others  as  he  was  at  our 


86  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

first  meeting  and,  indeed,  at  the  very  first  moment  of 
that  meeting. 

While  Count  Bantielos,  accompanied  by  Count  Morphy, 
ascended  to  the  next  floor,  where  the  King  was,  I  entered 
the  "study"  of  the  Prince  of  Asturias,  a  room  to  the  left 
on  the  ground  floor,  in  that  part  of  the  house  devoted 
to  Count  Morphy.  The  walls  were  covered  with  geo- 
graphical maps  and  photographs  of  sovereigns  and 
princes  and  princesses  of  reigning  houses,  all  bearing 
gracious  dedications.  On  one  table  was  a  chart  of  both 
hemispheres,  and  on  another,  covered  with  books  and 
papers,  lay  a  volimie  of  "Tacitus,"  bearing,  in  whose 
handwriting  I  did  not  know,  annotations  in  Spanish. 
While  I  was  excitedly  engaged  in  noting  the  pages  of 
the  book  thus  lying  open  under  my  eyes,  eager  to 
know  what  the  Prince  of  Asturias  had  last  read,  the 
door  opened  and  some  one  entered.  I  thought  it  was 
Count  Morphy. 

"You  see,  Coimt,"  I  said,  "I  am  trying  to  find  the 

passage "     I   looked  up.     It  was  the  young  King 

himself,  who  with  a  smile  on  his  lips  and  a  beaming  eye 
stretched  out  a  slightly  feverish  hand. 

He  was  dressed  with  irreproachable  taste  and  wore 
his  evening  dress,  with  its  narrow  silk  lapel,  with 
youthful  and  easy  grace,  while  a  gardenia  adorned 
his  buttonhole. 

In  spite  of  his  extreme  youth,  his  face  was  serious, 
his  bearing  energetic,  and  a  slight  line  already  seamed  a 
broad  and  intelligent  brow,  surmounted  by  fine  dark 
hair  arranged  with  great  care. 

"May  your  Majesty  pardon  me,"  I  said;  "I  thought 
it  was  Count  Morphy." 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         87 

The  King  made  a  slight  movement,  his  cheeks  coloured 
rapidly,  and  his  mouth,  a  little  melancholy  even  at  this 
moment  and  shaded  by  a  fine  youthful  mustache, 
began  to  smile  frankly. 

"Excuse  me,"  he  said,  "for  this  little  movement  of 
surprise,  but,  although  I  believe  I  may  consider  myself 
King  of  Spain,  you  are  the  first  stranger  who  has  yet 
greeted  me  with  this  title,  and  I  could  not  repress  the 
slight  movement  which  I  perceive  did  not  escape  you." 

Then,  with  his  back  against  the  fireplace  and  with  an 
easy  and  charming  simplicity,  he  told  me  himself  all  the 
details  of  the  movement  which  had  just  taken  place. 
He  recalled  the  proclamation  of  Martinez  Campos,  the 
attitude  of  the  troops,  the  proclamation  of  the  Governor 
of  Madrid,  the  feeling  of  the  populace  there  and  in  the 
provinces  as  indicated  to  him  by  telegrams.  He  then 
spoke  of  the  proclamation  that  he  would  himself  address 
to  the  Spanish  people,  and  he  outlined  to  me  the  entire 
plan  of  the  Constitution  which  he  had  conceived  and 
was  on  the  point  of  elaborating. 

"I  have  been  utterly  surprised  at  the  event,"  he  said, 
"although  I  was  expecting  it.  I  was  afraid  it  might 
be  too  long  delayed,  but  my  friend,  Martinez  Campos, 
wished  to  make  me  a  present  on  this  appropriate  day  of 
the  year,  and,"  he  added,  laughing,  "he  could  not  have 
chosen  a  finer  one. 

"I  went  out  immediately  after  breakfast  to  take 
advantage  of  a  moment's  sunshine,  and  when  I  returned 
I  saw  people  running  toward  the  palace.  The  great 
gateway  was  open,  with  everybody  awaiting  me  on  the 
steps.  The  Queen  was  at  the  top  of  the  stairs  and  coming 
down  to  throw  herself  into  my  arms,  while  the  others 


88  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

cried:  'Vive  le  Roil'  Then  I  understood,  and  I  had 
all  the  difficulty  in  the  world  to  keep  from  bursting  into 
tears,  for  I  understand  very  well  that  my  poor  Spain  has 
need  of  a  long  rest  in  order  to  rise  from  her  ruins,  and  I 
do  not  know  whether  my  strength  is  sufficient." 

After  some  minutes  of  silence  he  took  my  hand  as  a 
sign  of  farewell,  and  added  gaily,  "Between  ourselves, 
my  intention  is  to  avoid  all  future  pronunciamentos,  and 
for  that  purpose  I  shall  see  the  army  immediately  on  my 
return,  and  see  it  often  in  order  to  teach  it  that  it  has 
only  one  head,  who  commands  it  and  its  commanders  as 
well,  and  that  that  head  is  the  King. " 

Coimt  Morphy  then  came  to  me,  while  the  young  King 
ascended  to  his  apartments  on  the  first  floor.  I  thanked 
him  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  my  good  fortune, 
to  which  he  had  so  powerfully  contributed,  for  the  King 
had  said  to  me  in  our  conversation:  "My  friends.  Count 
Banuelos  and  Count  Morphy,  both  begged  me  to  see  you 
myself.  They  probably  thought  that  you  had  never  seen 
a  King  so  soon  after  his  accession,  and  that  what  I  told 
you  myself  would  have  more  authenticity  than  what  I 
might  say  through  them.  You  see  I  am  not  yet  at 
that  epoch  in  my  reign  at  which  they  no  longer  dare  to 
counsel  me, " 

And  I  experience  great  pleasure  now,  after  many 
years,  in  expressing  to  those  whom  Alphonso  XII. 
called  his  two  friends  the  feeling  of  profound  and  affec- 
tionate gratitude  which  I  have  ever  since  this  event 
entertained  for  them. 

Both,  happily,  while  Alphonso  XII.  reposes  in  the 
royal  vault  of  Spain,  still  live,  and  can  accept  the 
expression  of  my  enduring  gratitude. 


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I 


ALPHONSO  XII.  PROCLAIMED  KING         89 

But  I  admit  I  did  not  prolong  my  conversation  with 
Coimt  Morphy,  who  was  himself,  in  spite  of  the  late  hour, 
wearied  by  many  calls  upon  him.  Messages  followed  one 
another  without  cessation,  and  during  the  few  moments 
that  I  remained  with  him  several  packages  of  telegrams 
were  brought  in. 

It  was  half-past  eleven.  Count  Banuelos  had  gone, 
I  know  not  how,  leaving  my  carriage  at  my  disposal.  I 
ordered  my  driver  to  go  at  a  rapid  trot,  but  the 
snow  and  slipperiness  made  this  impossible,  and  he 
had  to  take  the  greatest  precaution  in  order  to  avoid 
an  accident.  It  was  almost  one  o'clock  when  I  reached 
the  office  of  the  Tunes.  Every  moment  was  precious. 
I  sent  off  two  columns  of  matter,  giving  the 
principal  items  and  my  interview  with  the  King, 
but  it  was  too  late  to  send  the  details  that  I  have  just 
given. 

The  following  day  I  remained  in  bed  in  a  state  of 
intense  fever,  quite  unable  to  write,  and  the  day  after  that 
it  was  too  late  to  return  to  the  details  of  that  evening. 
I  could  therefore  only  give  them  in  these  pages  of  my 
joumaHstic  life,  as  connected  with  the  political  events 
of  the  time. 

But  although  I  could  not  publish  everything,  what 
appeared  in  the  Times  on  the  following  morning  was 
absolutely  unknown  to  anybody.  The  correspondence 
from  Madrid  was  only  a  repetition  of  the  telegrams  in 
other  papers,  and  it  was  my  story,  given  by  the  Times, 
which  the  telegraphic  agencies  sent  throughout  the  world. 

On  the  3rd  of  January,  for  the  first  time  since  I  had 
been  under  his  orders,  Mr.  John  Delane  wrote  to  me 
direct,  and   congratulated  me  upon   what  he  called  my 


90  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

real  masterly  stroke.  Mr.  Delane  usually  corresponded 
only  with  the  chiefs  of  the  service,  which  is  sufficiently 
explained  by  the  fact  of  his  enormous  correspondence  as 
editor-in-chief  of  the  Times.  On  receiving  this  letter,  so 
replete  with  enthusiasm  on  the  success  obtained  on  the 
31st  of  the  previous  month,  I  understood  that  this  last 
effort,  more  than  all  others  put  together,  had  triumphed 
over  all  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  my  appointment  as 
the  Times  representative  at  Paris.  I  awaited  with  confi- 
dence this  appointment,  which  was  officially  announced 
on  the  ist  of  February,  1875. 


l.;^;i..ii 


CHAPTER  V 
The  French  Scare  of  1875 

My  desire  in  this  chapter  is  to  narrate  in  all  simplicity 
the  story  of  a  historical  episode  in  which  I  played  a 
certain  part — an  episode  that  has  been  travestied  by 
almost  everybody  who  has  written  about  it,  and  that 
has  often  been  spoken  of  in  ignorance.  Yet  it  is  one 
which  deserves  to  be  placed  in  its  true  light  before 
posterity. 

In  1875  the  Duke  Decazes  was  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  and  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  in  the 
French  political  world.  From  the  early  days  of  his 
appointment  as  Minister  he  had  become  famous  as  a 
clever  diplomatist.  He  had  taken  possession  of  the  post 
just  after  the  fall  of  Thiers,  succeeding  Count  de  Remusat, 
a  man  whose  diplomatic  despatches  are  still  regarded  as 
models  of  their  kind.  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
difficulties  that  lay  in  the  path  of  the  Duke  Decazes  were 
infinitely  greater  than  those  against  which  Count  de 
Remusat  had  to  contend. 

As  long  as  Thiers  remained  in  power,  Europe  was 
convinced  that  France  would  never  dream  of  abandoning 
the  republican  form  of  government.  Europe  was  aware 
that  the  home  problem  in  France,  in  her  struggle  in 
defense  of  the  Republican  idea  against  all  the  furious 
hostility  of  the  former  parties,  was  of  itself  so  difficult 

91 


92  MEMOIRS   OF   M.    de   BLOWITZ 

as  to  be  an  earnest  of  peace.  But  the  accession  of  the 
Conservatives,  and  in  particular  of  the  Orleanist  party, 
aroused  abroad  a  great  deal  of  anxiety.  It  was  feared 
that  this  party  might  try  to  overturn  the  Republic  and 
establish  the  Monarchy,  and  that  the  peace  of  Europe 
might  thereby  be  troubled.  Indeed,  the  new  Government 
seemed  at  a  very  early  date  to  be  giving  some  show  of 
reason  for  this  dread.  The  French  bishops,  in  the  very 
year  of  the  change,  and  the  Bishop  of  Nancy  in  particular, 
published  certain  pastoral  letters  which  aroused  indig- 
nation and  the  anxiety — perhaps  only  feigned — of  Ger- 
many. The  two  monarchical  houses,  the  Legitimists  and 
the  Orleanists,  united  their  forces  to  a  common  end;  a 
delicate  situation  was  created  with  Italy;  the  policy  of 
England  was  opposed;  Spanish  susceptibilities  were 
irritated  by  foreign  suspicion  to  the  effect  that  the  new 
Government  favoured  the  Carlists;  and  then,  little  by 
little,  as  if  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  France  foxmd 
itself  hedged  about  by  a  circle  of  suspicious  and  dis- 
trustful neighbours. 

This  general  feeling  among  European  statesmen  was 
not  lessened  by  the  elevation  of  Marshal  MacMahon  to 
the  Presidency.  It  was  believed  that  military  reorganisa- 
tion would  henceforth  be  the  chief  preoccupation  of 
France;  and  when  the  National  Assembly  patriotically 
voted  the  creation  of  the  Fourth  Battalion,  this  vote, 
which  had  almost  been  forced  upon  Parliament,  was 
the  expression  of  widespread  national  anxiety,  which 
Germany  did  not  fail  to  note. 

Therein  resides  the  true  origin  of  the  diplomatic 
incident  of  May,  1875. 

As  soon  as  the  creation  of  this  Fourth  Battalion  was 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE    OF    1875  93 

decided  on,  the  military  party  in  Germany  betrayed  much 
agitation,  of  which  Count  Moltke,  the  personification, 
after  the  Emperor,  of  German  mihtary  power,  was  the 
first  to  give  the  signal.  From  the  very  start  the  Emperor 
William  I.  had  shown  that  he  was  resolved  to  be  the  sole 
master  in  military  matters,  but  he  left  Prince  Bismarck 
almost  absolute  freedom  in  all  questions  not  pertaining 
to  the  army.  It  was  in  this  way,  indeed,  that  he  succeeded 
in  soothing  the  suspicious  and  the  irascible  nature  of 
his  Chancellor.  Even  at  the  present  day  it  is  impossible 
to  say  what  were  the  secret  aspirations  of  the  Chancellor 
after  the  treaty  of  Frankfort,  which  had  sealed  the 
triumph  of  Germany  over  France.  He  had  certainly 
regarded  himself  from  the  outset  as  the  sole  founder 
of  the  new  German  Empire.  His  constant  utterances 
after  his  fall  prove  how  deep-rooted  was  this  conviction. 
From  the  start  he  was  clearly  discontented.  For  a 
long  time  he  had  nursed  the  all  but  impossible  dream  of 
expelling  Austria  from  Germany,  and  of  including  as 
parts  of  a  single  empire,  of  which  he  saw  the  vision,  the 
southern  States,  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony,  and  all  the 
independent  States  scattered  over  German  territory. 
This  end  he  had  constantly  pursued  amidst  the  greatest 
obstacles,  and  this  ambitious  scheme  he  had  succeeded 
in  accomplishing  solely  by  his  persevering  genius.  When 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  after  the  treaty  was  signed, 
M.  Pouyer-Quertier  said  to  him,  "There's  no  reason 
why  you  should  complain;  you  have  been  made  a 
Prince,"  the  Chancellor  replied,  showing  him  a  parch- 
ment roll:  "You  think,  then,  I  have  no  reason  to 
complain.  Certainly  I  have  become  a  Prince.  As  for 
my  principality,  here  it  is." 


94  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

This  secret  discontent,  this  disenchantment  of  a 
man  who  thought  himself  the  founder  of  the  empire, 
was  instinctively  understood  by  the  Emperor.  And 
it  was  as  a  sop  to  his  overleaping  ambition  that  he 
made  Prince  Bismarck  the  real  sovereign  of  Germany, 
reserving  for  himself  only  the  absolute  control  of 
the  army. 

Prince  Bismarck  and  Count  Moltke  were  never  rivals, 
for  each  kept  to  his  respective  field,  although  the  former, 
by  his  sovereign's  pleasure,  always  wore  the  uniform 
with  characteristic  regularity. 

When,  therefore,  the  creation  of  the  Fourth  Battalion 
was  decided  on,  and  when  Count  Moltke,  who  was  ever 
most  vigilant,  saw  how  the  active  army  of  France  was 
being  strengthened,  he  communicated  his  fears  not  to 
Prince  Bismarck,  but  to  the  Emperor  William  himself. 
And  Prince  Bismarck  was  well  aware  that  it  was  of  no 
use  for  him  to  intervene  in  any  way,  either  to  hasten  or 
retard  or  even  to  stop  the  scheme  conceived  by  Count 
Moltke,  knowing  full  well  beforehand  that  all  inter- 
vention in  this  question  would  be  trespassing  on  for- 
bidden ground. 

Prince  Bismarck  always  energetically  protested  not 
only  against  his  being  considered  the  author  of  an 
aggressive  scheme  formulated  in  1875  against  France, 
but  he  has  constantly  maintained  that  no  such  idea 
had  occurred  to  any  one  in  Germany,  and  that  it 
existed  only  in  the  malevolent  minds  of  the  French. 
The  latter,  however,  claimed  that  these  plans  had 
nearly  been  successful,  and  were  thwarted  only  by 
Russian  intervention. 

The  result  of  this  accusation  was  calculated  to  preju- 


THE    FRENCH   SCARE   OF    1875  95 

dice  the  German  nation  in  the  eyes  of  posterity.  It 
threw  upon  Russia  the  entire  honourable  responsibiHty 
of  checkmating  this  design;  and  on  the  other  hand, 
Prince  Bismarck's  attitude  toward  the  French,  whom 
he  treated  as  calumniators,  had  the  result  of  detracting 
from  the  renown  of  France  while  it  placed  Russia  in  the 
light  of  a  pretentious  Don  Quixote. 

It  is  to  rectify  so  many  erroneous  statements,  to 
apportion  to  each,  in  all  fairness,  his  responsibilities  and 
his  successes — it  is,  in  a  word,  to  throw  light  upon  a 
historical  event  until  now  left  in  vague  obscurity,  that 
I  now  write  these  pages. 

All  the  European  foreign  offices  were  secretly  informed 
at  the  beginning  of  1875  of  the  excited  state  of  feeling 
in  Germany,  caused  by  the  creation,  by  the  French 
chamber,  of  the  Fourth  Battalion. 

Prince  Bismarck's  intentions  remained,  however,  a 
mystery. 

It  was  well  known  that  the  Emperor  would  brook  from 
him  no  intervention  so  far  as  military  affairs  were  con- 
cerned; and  the  German  army  corps  and  the  German 
military  party  looked  at  matters  only  from  the  military 
point  of  view.  Prince  Bismarck,  who  at  the  time, 
evidently,  was  of  opinion  that  discretion  was  the  better 
part  of  valour,  assumed  an  attitude  of  alert  observation, 
gathered  from  every  quarter  of  Europe  all  possible 
impressions,  and  bided  his  time. 

Thus  the  various  European  foreign  offices  became 
aware  of  the  state  of  mind  of  the  German  military  party, 
while  they  were  entirely  ignorant  of  the  Chancellor's 
intentions.  On  the  whole,  the  general  impression  was 
that  Prince  Bismarck's  decisions  would  in  one  way  or 


96  MEMOIRS   OF   M,   de   BLOWITZ 

another  triumph,  and  that,  notwithstanding  the  precision 
of  the  resolutions  formed  by  the  mihtary  party,  the 
matter  would  still  be  left  vague  and  imcertain  and  never 
develop  into  anything.  This  very  vagueness  was  omi- 
nous, though,  and  the  air  of  mystery  which  in  European 
diplomatic  circles  surrounded  the  crisis  that  had  been 
secretly  concocted  in  the  German  capital  was  a  quite 
natural   result. 

I  myself  was  indirectly  informed  by  various  people  of 
the  actual  state  of  affairs.  I  was  asked  to  watch  what 
was  going  on  between  Germany  and  France.  I  was  the 
constant  recipient  of  letters  from  all  over  Europe,  asking 
if  it  was  true  that  France  was  becoming  so  strong  as  to 
be  a  legitimate  menace  at  Berlin  and  if  the  Fourth 
Battalion  was  a  dangerous  addition  to  the  French  Army, 
And  I  saw  that  these  inquiries  usually  emanated  from 
persons  who  were  the  mouthpieces  of  others.  All 
this  was  further  evidence  of  the  general  preoccupation 
that  existed  in  all  European  countries. 

About  this  epoch  I  met  M.  Clasczko,  the  keen-sighted 
author  of  "  Les  Deux  Chanceliers,"  He  had  just  returned 
from  a  trip  through  Europe.  He  had  been  received 
everywhere  as  he  deserved  to  be,  for  he  was  a  man  to 
be  trusted,  and  he  had  been  struck  by  the  widespread 
anxiety  that  was  noticeable  among  European  statesmen. 
He  came  to  see  me  and  we  had  a  long  and  absolutely 
frank  conversation.  Our  conclusion  was  that  the  situa- 
tion demanded  my  keenest  attention,  and  we  parted  with 
the  agreement  to  keep  each  other  mutually  informed  of 
all  that  came  to  our  notice. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1875,  I  met  the  Duke  Decazes 
at  a  soiree  ait  the  house  of  the  Prefect  of  Police,  M.  Leon 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE   OF    1875  97 

Renault.  The  Duke  was  standing  near  the  door  a  Httle 
apart  from  the  company,  as  if  preferring  to  be  alone. 
As  I  went  by  him  I  bowed.     He  stopped  me  and  said: 

"  You  seem  in  a  great  hurry." 

"No,"  I  replied;  "but  you  appear  to  have  something 
on  your  mind,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  be  indiscreet." 

"You  are  paying  me  a  very  poor  compliment,"  he 
retorted,  "for,  if  I  really  have  something  on  my  mind,  I 
ought  not  to  show  it;  and  if  I  have  not,  it  is  a  great 
mistake  to  appear  to  have.  But  confess  that  you  said 
this  for  a  purpose :  you  wanted  to  let  me  know  that  you 
think  I  really  ought  to  be  anxious." 

"  No,  Monsieur  le  Due,"  I  said,  "  I  was  not  as  subtle  as 
that.  The  truth  is,  that,  thinking  you  were  worried,  I 
discovered  that  your  face  betrayed  it." 

"We  cannot  talk  here,"  said  the  Duke.  "Come  to  see 
me  to-morrow  evening  and  we  will  have  a  long  talk.  In 
my  rooms  no  one  will  interrupt  us." 

On  the  following  evening  at  nine  I  was  at  the  house  of 
the  Duke  Decazes.  I  knew  how  much  he  hated  being 
forced  to  talk  or  to  have  information  wrung  from  him. 
As  this  process  had  always  seemed  to  me  childish  and 
commonplace,  I  was  tempted  less  than  ever  to  apply  it 
in  his  case.  I  therefore  produced  and  read  aloud  in  a 
clear  voice  the  letters  that  I  had  received  about  the 
German  military  party,  the  notes  I  had  taken  on  the 
subject  from  conversations  with  foreign  diplomatists 
and  even  with  members  of  the  Paris  diplomatic  corps, 
and  in  particular  the  very  characteristic  words  of 
M.  Clasczko. 

After  listening  for  some  time,  the  Duke  said : 

"I  really  have  not  anything  to  tell  you.     You  know 


98  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

all  that  has  come  to  my  knowledge,  and  my  information 
so  strongly  corroborates  yours  that  there  is  only  one 
conclusion  to  be  drawn,  namely,  that  every  foreign  ofhce 
in  Europe  is  preoccupied  with  our  relations  with  Germany. 
I  must  add,  however,  to  what  you  have  said  merely  this : 
Hohenlohe  came  here  and  tried  to  turn  the  conversation 
upon  our  armaments  and  the  anxiety  which  they  are 
causing  in  Germany.  I  tried  to  turn  the  subject,  as  it  is 
too  risky  to  discuss.  But  I  know  Hohenlohe  well,  and 
I  know  his  orders.  He  will  come  back,  and  if  I  continue 
to  avoid  the  topic,  and  refuse  all  explanations,  he  will 
arrange  to  bring  about  a  coup  d'etat  of  some  kind  or  other. 
He  will  succeed  in  obtaining  leave  of  absence,  and  will 
manage  to  leave  Paris  in  such  a  way  as  to  compromise 
the  situation,  for  his  presence  here  is  a  gage  of  peace. 
What  troubles  me  is  that  the  Germans  still  surround 
their  plans  with  so  much  mystery  that  the  world  con- 
tinues to  be  ignorant  of  them,  and  that  these  plans  may 
come  to  maturity  at  any  moment,  when  it  will  be  too 
late  to  do  anything. 

"The  Russian  Emperor  thinks  of  going  to  Berlin  at 
the  beginning  of  May,  and  everything  that  is  possible  will 
be  done  to  keep  the  matter  dark.  The  Emperor  will, 
of  course,  be  told  about  these  plans,  but  he  will  pretend 
that  he  does  not  know  about  them  and  refuse  to  believe 
them;  and  he  will  not  venture  to  allude  to  them  so  long 
as  they  are  not  mentioned  to  him.  How,  indeed,  can 
a  sovereign  allow  another  sovereign,  a  friendly  one,  to 
suppose  that  he  regards  the  latter  capable  of  such  an  act 
of  aggression  against  a  vanquished  and  disarmed  people — 
an  aggression  which,  in  the  present  circumstances,  would 
be  little  short  of  barbarous  ?    So  that  all  possible  secrecy 


THE   FRENCH    SCARE   OF    1875  99 

will  be  kept  at  Berlin  during  the  Emperor's  stay,  and  if 
the  matter  should  come  to  the  surface  at  all  it  will  be 
after  he  has  gone. 

"  For  this  reason  I  think  that  there  is  only  one  way  to 
prevent  the  Russian  Emperor  from  being  compelled,  while 
at  Berlin,  to  hold  his  peace.  I  will  tell  you  how.  Some 
authoritative  journal,  known  throughout  the  world, 
should  expose  the  entire  situation,  and  this  journal,  I 
need  hardly  tell  you,  should  be  the  Times. 

"No  French  journal  could  possibly  do  it,  for  the 
Germans  would  have  the  right  to  regard  it  as  a  provoca- 
tion, and  no  one  would  believe  the  statement  abroad. 
To  adopt  such  a  course  would  therefore  be  a  very  great 
mistake.  Nor  could  such  an  exposure  be  made  in  an 
Italian  journal;  those  friendly  to  us  have  no  authority. 
In  Austria  no  important  paper  would  care  or  dare  to  do 
it;  and  the  Russian  press  is  obviously  out  of  the  question, 
as  its  intervention,  even  were  the  censors  to  allow  it, 
would  put  the  Russian  Emperor  in  a  false  position  at 
Berlin.  The  Times  is  the  only  paper  in  the  world  which 
can  possibly  publish  such  information  with  any  telling 
and  authoritative  efTect.  And  that  is  what  I  ask  you 
to  do." 

"I  am  perfectly  ready,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  I 
said,  "to  undertake  this  work,  but  you  will  understand 
that  the  subject  is  too  important  for  me  to  be  able 
to  guarantee  publication  without  previously  inform- 
ing the  Times  and  obtaining  its  assent.  I  shall  write 
to-morrow  to  Mr.  John  Delane,  and  act  according  to 
his  orders." 

I  did  so.  I  placed  the  exact  situation  before  Mr, 
Delane  and  asked  explicitly  for  permission  to  write  a 


loo  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

letter  publicly  denouncing  the  plan  of  aggression  against 
France  conceived  by  the  German  military  party. 

Mr.  John  Delane  replied  that  my  commtmication  had 
greatly  interested,  even  moved  him,  but  he  said  that 
such  an  insinuation  against  a  civilised  nation  could  not 
be  risked  by  a  paper  like  the  Times  unless  it  were  backed 
up  in  the  most  positive  and  official  manner,  so  that,  if 
called  to  accoimt,  absolute  and  crushing  proof  could  be 
adduced  in  reply.  I  showed  his  letter  to  the  Duke 
Decazes,  and  it  caused  him  much  disappointment, 
although  he  agreed  with  me  that  Mr.  John  Delane 
could  scarcely  act  differently.  He  began  to  walk 
up  and  down  the  room  in  great  agitation,  constantly 
repeating : 

"Time  presses.  We  must  act,  or  it  will  be  too  late. 
I  persist  in  my  idea:  the  Times  is  the  only  paper  which 
can  do  what  I  ask;  and  if  it  does  not  do  it,  all  may  be 
lost."  Then  turning  to  me  suddenly,  he  said,  "What 
Mr.  Delane  wants,  then,  is  information  so  authorita- 
tive that  he  may  be  sure  he  is  acting  on  the  best  faith 
in  the  world?" 

"Certainly,"  I  replied;  "that  is  Mr.  Delane's  idea." 

"Very  well,"  he  said;  "come  back  and  see  me  this 
evening." 

On  returning  in  the  evening  I  found  him  in  one  of  the 
small  first-floor  rooms,  where  he  was  alwavs  to  be  seen 
when  alone. 

"Do  you  think,"  he  asked,  "that  Mr.  Delane  would 
publish  your  letter  if  you  assured  him  on  your  word 
of  honour  that  you  referred  to  an  absolutely  authen- 
tic document?" 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  I  replied.    "  The  day  when  my  word 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE    OF    1875  loi 

of  honour  is  not  enough  for  Mr,  Delane  he  will  no  longer 
find  me  under  his  orders." 

"Then,"  said  the  Duke  Decazes,  "I  am  going  to  do 
something  that  is  absolutely  unusual.  I  am  going  to 
communicate  to  you  an  official  and  confidential  docu- 
ment; but  in  so  acting  I  am  convinced  that  I  am  acting 
in  my  country's  interest  and  in  that  of  Europe,  I  must 
ask  you,  though,  to  swear  to  me  that,  in  my  lifetime,  you 
will  not  say  that  I  have  shown  you  this  document  imless 
you  are  compelled  for  the  honour  of  your  paper  to  do  so. 
Not  that  I  fear  to  confess  to  all  the  world  what  I  am  going 
to  do,  but  because  I  know  the  passions  that  exist  all 
about  us.  If  the  misfortune  that  I  fear  should  occur,  I 
should  be  blamed  for  not  having  warded  it  off;  and  if  I 
succeed  in  preventing  it,  it  will  be  said  to  have  existed 
only  in  my  imagination.  For  this  reason  I  ask  you  to 
keep  your  own  counsel  as  to  our  interview — at  least  as 
long  as  I  am  in  this  world.  If  you  survive  me,  I  authorise 
you  to  speak ;  for  by  that  time  I  hope  the  hour  of  justice 
will  have  arrived  for  me,  and  my  act  will  be  seen  to  be 
that  of  an  ardent  patriot,  anxious  only  to  defend  his 
country  against  a  fresh  calamity," 

With  these  words  the  Duke  took  out  of  a  drawer  in  a 
small  desk  that  stood  at  the  right  of  the  chimney-piece 
a  rather  large  paper  note-book  and  handed  it  to  me. 

The  book  contained  a  despatch  from  the  Count  de 
Gontaut-Biron,  French  Ambassador  at  Berlin.  In  this 
despatch  the  Count  de  Gontaut-Biron,  who  was  always 
most  highly  respected  by  all  those  who  knew  him,  had 
given  the  Duke  Decazes  a  detailed  accoimt  of  his  inter- 
view with  M.  de  Radowitz,  whom  he  lpa.d  met  at  a  ball. 

M,  de  Radowitz,  having  turned  the  theme  of  conversa- 


I02  MEMOIRS   OF   M.    de   BLOWITZ 

tion  to  the  famous  Fourth  Battalion  and  the  French 
armaments,  which  were  arousing  the  anxiety  of  the 
German  Government,  revealed  to  him  the  plans 
conceived  against  France  by  the  German  military 
party.  M.  de  Radowitz  stated  that  Count  Moltke 
had  great  influence  over  the  Emperor  and  had  proved 
to  him  the  necessity  of  an  immediate  war  with 
France.  The  German  armies  were  to  invade  France, 
crush  instantly  all  opposition,  press  on  to  Paris,  invest 
the  capital,  and  take  up  a  position  on  the  plateau  of 
Avron,  whence  they  could  overlook  Paris  and,  if  need  be, 
destroy  it.  This  done,  Germany  would  dictate  a  treaty 
reducing  France  to  absolute  subjection  for  many  years. 
It  would  insist  on  a  permanently  reduced  army,  impose  a 
war  indemnity  of  10,000,000,000  (ten  milliards)  of  francs, 
payable  in  twenty  annuities,  without  any  clause  allowing 
payment  to  be  made  in  advance,  with  annual  interest  at 
five  per  cent.,  and  keep  garrisons  in  the  principal  towns 
of  France  until  the  whole  sum  should  be  paid.  Count 
de  Gontaut-Biron  had  scarcely  been  able  to  maintain  his 
sang-froid  during  this  revelation.  He  pretended  to 
M.  de  Radowitz  that  he  did  not  believe  it,  and  he  had 
thus  forced  him  to  confirm  his  words  in  the  most  absolute 
fashion.  He  left  M.  de  Radowitz  in  the  greatest  excite- 
ment, for  he  felt  sure  that  the  latter  had  spoken  by  order, 
although  he  could  not  conceive  who  had  commanded  it, 
or  why.  He  believed  that  the  idea  was  to  frighten 
France,  and  to  force  that  country  into  some  overtures  of 
explanation  which  would  reassure  Germany.  But  he 
left  no  stone  unturned  to  investigate  the  matter  and 
corroborate  this  information.  The  result  of  his  inquiries 
was  that  he  had  become  certain  that  the  scheme  had  been 


I 


THE   FRENCH    SCARE   OF    1875  103 

concocted  only  by  the  military  party,  and  that  Prince 
Bismarck,  as  far  as  his  responsibility  went,  was  an 
absolute  stranger  to  the  plan. 

As  may  be  easily  imagined,  I  was  profoundly  impressed 
by  the  reading  of  this  document.  In  tones  betraying  my 
emotion  I  returned  the  note-book,  and,  thanking  the 
Duke,    said: 

"I  will  write  the  letter,  and  I  swear  to  you  to  do  all 
that  is  in  my  power  to  obtain  its  publication." 

On  going  home,  without  a  moment's  delay  I  wrote  a 
letter  revealing  the  entire  plan  of  the  German  miHtary 
party  as  told  by  M.  de  Gontaut-Biron  from  the  informa- 
tion given  by  M.  de  Radowitz.  And  on  receiving  this 
letter,  Mr.  John  Delane,  frightened  at  its  contents,  took 
measures  himself  to  discover  what  was  true  and  what  was 
false  in  the  terrible  scheme  thus  circumstantially  revealed. 

Some  days  went  by  without  the  letter's  appearing.  I 
began  to  be  apprehensive,  when  suddenly,  on  May  4,  1875, 
it  was  published  imder  the  title,  "The  French  Scare." 

The  effect  was  instantaneous  and  universal.  The 
Emperor  Alexander  H.  no  longer  had  any  excuse,  during 
his  approaching  visit  to  Berlin,  not  to  know  all  about  the 
matter;  and  indeed,  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement 
aroused  by  my  letter,  the  German  Chancellor  himself 
had  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  bring  before  the  Russian 
Emperor  the  question  of  this  bellicose  scheme  imputed 
to  Germany,  and  to  wash  his  hands  of  it. 

The  German  Emperor,  too,  on  meeting  M.  de  Gontaut- 
Biron,  said  to  him,  "They  are  trying  to  embroil 
matters  between  us,  but  fortunately  they  have  not 
succeeded." 

Prince  Gortchakoff   lost   no  time  in  addressing  to  the 


I04  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

Russian  representatives  a  circular  beginning  "Peace 
is  henceforth  assured."  Lord  Derby,  on  his  part,  assured 
Englishmen  of  the  same  fact. 

But  the  French  press,  mistaking  altogether  the  motives 
which  had  dictated  the  Times  letter,  and  quite  without 
reflection,  heaped  upon  its  author  the  most  incredible 
insults.  The  German  press,  seeing  what  had  been  the 
effects  of  it,  echoed  the  attacks  of  the  French  news- 
papers, imtil  the  latter,  finally  detecting  the  real  motive 
that  had  inspired  the  letter,  ceased  their  diatribes.  Six 
weeks  later,  as  I  was  entering  the  Coimtess  de  Valon's 
salon  with  a  friend,  a  Frenchman  who  was  there  asked 
my  friend  how  much  Prince  Bismarck  had  paid  me  for 
"publishing  the  scare  letter." 

This  is  sufficient  to  show  to  what  degree  of  blindness 
my  act  of  loyalty  had  driven  the  French  press,  an  act 
made  possible  by  the  courageous  and  enlightened 
support  of  my  chief. 

I  confess  that  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  John  Delane 
made  up  for  all  these  attacks  and  insults : 

"May  1 8. 

"My  Dear  Mr.  de  Blowitz:  I  did  not  need  your  very 
interesting  letter  of  the  14th  inst.  to  appreciate  the  entire 
success  of  that  startling  public  letter  by  which  you 
alarmed  Europe  to  a  sense  of  its  imminent  danger.  It 
has  been  of  the  greatest  public  service,  and,  as  I  sincerely 
beheve,  has  done  even  much  to  spare  the  world  the  horrors 
of  another  war.  No  greater  honour  than  to  have  aided 
in  averting  war  is  within  the  reach  of  the  journalist. 

"As  to  the  French  and  German  press,  I  hope  you 
have  philosophy  enough  to  bear  their  attacks  with  con- 
temptuous equanimity." 


THE   FRENCH    SCARE    OF    1875  105 

On  December  17,  1878,  I  was  dining  at  the  Cafe  Voisin. 
General  Leflo  entered  and  sat  down  at  a  table  in  a  comer 
close  by.  As  I  had  finished  my  dinner,  I  joined  him. 
General  Leflo  had  been  French  Ambassador  at  St. 
Petersburg  during  the  period  of  the  incidents  called  by 
the  Times  "The  French  Scare."  He,  better  than  any 
one,  was  able  to  give  me  details  of  the  incident  in  which 
I  had  been  myself  so  closely  associated.  The  following 
is  a  faithful  accoimt  of  what  he  said  to  me : 

"I  was  in  Paris  when  the  incident  of  1875  first  began 
to  arouse  the  attention  of  European  statesmen.  I  called 
on  the  Duke  Decazes  and  took  the  liberty  of  telling  him 
that,  to  my  mind,  his  fears  in  reference  to  an  attack  by 
Germany  upon  France  were  greatly  exaggerated.  The 
Duke  replied  that  he  had  in  his  possession  certain  trust- 
worthy documents  which  appeared  to  him  to  justify  all 
his  fears.  As  a  result  of  this  conversation  I  was  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible  to  St.  Petersburg.  But  before 
my  departure  I  wished  to  call  on  Prince  Orloff,  then 
Russian  Ambassador  in  Paris,  to  let  him  know  that  I  was 
going  back  to  Russia. 

"  'I  have  just  mentioned  your  name  in  a  telegram  to 
Prince  Gortchakoff, '  said  Prince  OrlofE  to  me.  '  I  am 
quite  of  your  opinion  that  the  fears  of  the  Duke  Decazes 
are  chimerical,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  any  one  now 
thinks  of  attacking  France.' 

"From  Prince  Orloff  I  went  to  the  Elysee  to  see  the 
Marshal,  for  I  wished  to  tell  him,  as  well  as  the  Duke 
Decazes,  of  the  encouraging  impression  left  upon  me  by 
Prince  Orloff's  words.  The  Marshal  was  out,  so  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  house  of  the  Duke  Decazes.  He,  too,,  was 
away  from  home.     Returning  to  the  Elysee,  I  found  an 


io6 


MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 


aide-de-camp  of  the  President,  whom  I  entrusted  with  a 
message  for  the  latter  to  the  effect  that,  as  I  did  not  wish 
to  leave  Paris  for  my  post  without  seeing  him,  I  would 
call  again  on  the  morrow,  postponing  my  journey  for  a 
day.  The  same  evening  I  received  from  the  Marshal  a 
note  fixing  an  appointment  for  nine  o'clock  on  the 
following  morning.  I  went  there  at  the  hour  named. 
In  all  frankness  I  told  him  what  I  myself  thought,  adding 
that  my  opinion  had  been  corroborated  by  other  men  of 
standing ;  and  I  protested  against  the  views  held  not  only 
by  him  but  by  his  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  the  Duke 
Decazes,  as  well  as  by  some  other  French  statesmen. 

"'You  seem  to  take  the  whole  matter  very  easily,' 
said  the  Marshal,  and  with  a  key  attached  to  his  watch- 
chain  he  opened  a  drawer  and  took  out  a  packet  of 
papers. 

"These  papers  were  official  documents  of  all  kinds, 
including  some  military  reports  to  the  Government  and 
to  the  President.  They  came  from  all  the  French  military 
attaches  in  Europe,  and  testified  to  the  recent  activity 
of  Germany  in  provisioning  its  troops,  in  purchasing 
horses,  and  in  storing  up  fresh  ammunition.  It  was 
stated  that  all  these  horses  and  this  ammunition  had 
been  transferred  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  French 
frontier.  They  contained  the  fullest  and  most  astoimd- 
ing  details  as  to  the  process  of  mobilisation  which  had 
been  secretly  going  on  in  Germany  for  some  time. 

"  It  took  me  more  than  an  hour  to  look  through  these 
documents  with  care,  and  I  made  a  brief  simimary  of 
them,  which  I  submitted  to  the  Marshal,  and  which  I 
wished  to  take  with  me  to  St.  Petersburg. 

"The  following  morning  I  set  out.     It  was  a  tiresome 


J 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE    OF    1875  107 

journey,  especially  for  a  man  of  my  age,  I  had  seen 
Prince  Orloff  before  leaving,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Marshal  and  the  Duke  Decazes,  had  told  him  what  I  had 
just  learned  and  how  I  had  begim  to  share  their  fears. 
He  entrusted  me  with  a  long  despatch  for  Prince  Gort- 
chakoff ,  the  exact  contents  of  which  were  not  known  to 
me.  On  arriving  at  St.  Petersbtu-g  I  was  so  exhausted 
by  my  journey  that,  in  sending  to  Prince  Gortchakoff  the 
despatch,  I  excused  myself  for  not  calling  upon  him 
immediately,  and  said  that  I  should  go  to  see  him  within 
forty-eight  hours. 

"But  on  the  morrow,  before  I  was  up — on  account  of 
my  fatigue  I  had  remained  in  bed  longer  than  usual — 
my  man-servant  came  to  tell  me  that  Prince  Gortchakoff 
was  in  the  salon.  I  dressed  in  haste  and  went  down  to 
see  him. 

"  '  I  came  to  inquire  about  your  health, '  he  said,  '  and 
to  talk  over  Prince  Orloff's  despatch.  I  am  rather  of 
his  opinion  that  your  fears  are  a  little  exaggerated.  It 
is  true  enough  that  they  are  angry  in  Berlin  at  the  energy 
you  are  displaying  in  repairing  your  disasters,  and  at 
the  remarkable  result  you  have  already  obtained  in  the 
short  space  of  four  years,  while  other  nations  would  have 
spent  the  time  in  thinking  matters  over.  But  anger 
such  as  this  does  not  mean  that  they  think  of  attacking 
you,  and  I  really  believe  that  you  insult  the  national 
honour  of  our  time  by  imagining  that  they  entertain  in 
Germany  any  such  intention.' 

"I  made  no  reply.  This  was  clearly  the  part  that 
Prince  Gortchakoff  might  be  expected  to  play.  He 
knew  that  it  was  not  by  adding  fuel  to  the  fire  of  our 
anxiety  that  the  situation  could  be  made  less  serious,  or 


io8  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

that  minds  could  be  calmed.  Instead  of  discussing  the 
matter  with  him,  I  asked  to  be  immediately  presented 
to  the  Emperor.  The  Prince  promised  to  arrange  the 
matter  that  very  day. 

"  The  Emperor  had  the  very  correct  rule,  I  well  knew, 
of  always  replying  on  the  following  day  to  any  request 
for  an  audience  made  by  a  member  of  the  diplomatic 
corps.  When  three  days  went  by  without  an  answer,  I 
began  to  be  greatly  troubled.  I  took  his  silence  as 
evidence  of  his  slight  regard  for  French  anxiety  at  the 
moment,  and  my  distress  increased  with  my  irritation. 

"  It  was  in  this  state  of  mind  that  I  met  Prince  Gort- 
chakoff  again.  I  confessed  to  him  how  anxious  I  felt, 
and  I  told  him  how  much  I  feared  a  failure  in  my  mission 
of  interesting  the  Czar  in  my  country. 

"  My  words  evidently  had  their  effect,  for  on  that  very 
evening  I  was  told  that  the  Emperor  would  receive  me 
on  the  following  day.  I  was  there  at  the  appointed  hour. 
The  Emperor,  although  amiable,  was  a  little  cool  in  his 
manner.  Even  before  I  had  begun  to  speak  of  my 
mission,  he  said  to  me,  as  if  echoing  Prince  Gortchakoff's 
words:  'I  know  what  brings  you  here,  but  I  hope  that 
your  fears  are  exaggerated.  People  at  Berlin  are  cer- 
tainly startled  at  your  extraordinary  activity,  but  that 
doesn't  mean  that  they  are  thinking  of  attacking  you. ' 

"This  language  frightened  me.  The  Czar  had  spoken 
in  a  tone  of  such  evident  firmness  that  it  seemed  as  though 
nothing  could  change  his  opinion.  I  felt  that  it  was  the 
expression  of  an  irrevocable  foregone  conclusion  in  favour 
of  Germany,  and  that  any  words  of  mine  would  be  taken 
only  as  a  calumny  against  that  country's  honour.  But 
I  could  not  hesitate.     I  placed  before  him  all  the  com- 


THE   FRENCH    SCARE   OF    1875  109 

munications  shown  to  me  by  Marshal  MacMahon,  the 
reports  of  the  miHtary  attaches  and  Foreign  Ministers, 
and  without  comment  I  merely  begged  him  to  look  them 
through.  He  did  so  with  some  attention  and  his  face 
betrayed  his  emotion. 

"I  then  began  to  speak.  I  admitted  to  him  that 
France  was  weak,  it  was  true,  but  just  then  in  such  a 
state  of  mind  that  so  perfidious,  so  barbarous  an  attack 
by  Germany  would  drive  it  to  exasperation;  that  if  the 
worst  should  really  happen  it  would  be  a  war  to  the  death 
without  quarter,  and  that  all  Europe  would  be  dragged 
into  this  struggle  of  extermination.  I  was  so  deeply 
affected  by  the  sense  of  the  enormous  responsibility  that 
weighed  upon  me  that  I  burst  into  tears. 

' '  The  Emperor  rose  quickly.  He  came  up  to  me,  and, 
drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  with  one  hand  he 
took  mine,  and  placing  the  other,  with  a  dignified  and 
friendly  gesture,  upon  my  shoulder,  said,  in  a  voice  of 
restrained  emotion: 

"'Becalm.  You  shall  not  be  attacked.  I  promise 
you  to  prevent  any  such  scheme.  Europe  will  never  see 
such  a  spectacle  ! ' 

"My  joy  at  these  words  was  profound.  A  man  so 
omnipotent  as  Alexander  II,,  a  man  so  alive  to  the  sense 
of  sovereign  responsibility,  could  not  possibly  have  used 
this  language  without  being  sincere.  In  circumstances 
like  these  the  word  of  a  sovereign  was  more  sacred,  more 
inviolable,  than  any  treaty.  His  promise,  'Europe  will 
never  see  such  a  spectacle,'  was  an  encouragement  in 
which  I  could  have  absolute  confidence.  I  left  the  royal 
presence  relieved  of  an  enormous  weight.  Hurrying 
home,  I  sent  to  the  Duke  Decazes  a  despatch  in  cipher, 


no  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

warning  him  to  have  it  read  in  his  presence  by  his  most 
confidential  clerks;  and  I  so  wrote  it  that  if  deciphered 
in  portions  by  several  persons  there  could  be  no  possible 
danger  of  its  sense  being  indiscreetly  detected. 

"The  reply  of  the  Duke  Decazes  came  very  speedily. 
It  was  full  of  the  greatest  admiration  for  and  gratitude 
toward  Alexander  II.  It  said  that  France,  under  the 
shelter,  as  it  were,  of  this  imperial  utterance,  might 
await  the  future  in  all  confidence,  and  bare  its  face  to 
the  storm  without  fear.  But  in  a  private  portion  the 
Duke  added:  'It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  war, 
now  being  secretly  planned  in  Berlin  in  so  much  mystery 
and  silence,  might  at  any  time  burst  forth  suddenly,  and 
as  the  Czar  has  solemnly  affirmed  that  this  shall  not  hap- 
pen. His  Majesty  may  feel  called  upon  to  draw  his  own 
sword  to  keep  the  promise  of  his  inviolable  word.  His 
Majesty,  in  the  enthusiastic  expression  of  his  generous 
soul,  has  perhaps  not  thought  of  such  a  contingency ;  but 
we  should  be  disloyal  and  ungrateful  to  His  Majesty  if, 
while  using  the  greatest  prudence,  we  did  not  make  this 
possibility  quite  clear.' 

"This  telegram  worried  me  considerably.  I  wondered 
if  the  Duke  Decazes  was  not  carrying  a  little  too  far  his 
feelings  of  loyalty  and  gratitude  to  the  Czar,  and  I  also 
wondered  if,  in  communicating  this  excessive  scruple, 
I  might  not  upset  all  that  I  had  done  and  expose  France 
again  to  isolation.  Looking  through  the  despatch  again, 
I  marked  with  a  red  pencil  the  confidential  passages 
in  order  to  leave  them  out  when  I  read  it  to  Prince 
Gortchakoff. 

"Simultaneously  with  this  despatch,  I  received  a  copy 
of  a  conversation  between  Count  de  Gontaut-Biron  and 


THE    FRENCH   SCARE   OF    1875  iii 

M.  de  Radowitz,  and  a  circumstantial  account  of  a  min- 
isterial council  held  in  Berlin,  in  the  Emperor  William's 
presence  when  Count  Moltke  had  spoken  as  follows:  'It 
is  not  peace  that  we  have  made,  but  only  a  truce.  To-day 
France  is  without  an  army  and  without  money.  In  spite 
of  its  all  but  inexhaustible  prosperity,  it  could  not  pos- 
sibly raise  the  sums  necessary  to  organise  a  resistance 
worthy  of  the  name.  It  would  certainly  try  to  fight — • 
and  fortunately,  too,  for  us,  for  we  would  not  think  of 
attacking  a  nation  unable  to  do  its  best  to  resist  us. 
But  now,  whatever  the  resistance,  our  success  is  certain. 
A  new  war  is  only  a  question  of  time,  and  if  we  post- 
pone it  for  eighteen  months,  France,  with  the  marvellous 
resources  which  it  has  at  its  disposal,  will  have  so  far 
recovered  from  its  disasters  as  to  be  able  to  set  against 
us  an  army  equal  to  our  own.  Its  frontiers  will  have 
been  reestablished,  and  in  eighteen  months  it  will  have 
as  strong  an  artillery  as  we  have  to-day.  It  is  a  matter 
of  whether  we  wish  to  sacrifice  or  not  100,000  men, 
for  that  is  what  will  be  inevitable  if  we  put  matters 
off.  From  every  point  of  view,  military,  political, 
philosophic,  and  even  Christian,  an  immediate  war  is  a 
necessity. ' 

"Taking  the  diplomatic  paper  which  contained  these 
words,  the  military  reports  and  the  despatch  of  the 
Duke  Decazes,  I  called  unexpectedly  upon  Prince  Gort- 
chakoff .  I  found  him  lying  on  a  sofa,  laid  up  with  an 
injured  foot.  Seeing  him  in  this  state,  I  was  about  to 
withdraw,  but  the  Prince  insisted  that  I  should  stay. 
I  began  to  read  to  him  the  despatch  from  the  Duke 
Decazes,  of  course  leaving  out  the  marked  passages. 
But  the  room  was  not  well  lighted,  and  I  stumbled  at  a 


112 


MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 


certain  place.  The  Prince  noticed  that  I  was  not  read- 
ing it  all,  and  interrupting  me,  said : 

"  'My  dear  General,  you  really  believe  that  Germany  is 
planning  to  attack  your  country  because  you  are  now 
unable  to  defend  yourself  successfully;  and  you  think, 
therefore,  that  this  must  at  any  cost  be  prevented,  lest  a 
great  blot  should  stain  the  history  of  this  coimtry.  So 
be  it,  but  in  these  circumstances  all  hesitation  is  a  crime, 
and  reticence  would  be  bad  policy.  I  know  my  master. 
I  know  how  he  is  touched  by  confidence  placed  in  him, 
if  only  it  be  absolute  and  without  reserve.  He  did  not 
speak  as  he  did  lightly,  for  he  has  since  repeated  his  words 
to  me.  Give  me,  then,  the  whole  of  your  document, 
and  I  will  send  it  to  him  this  very  moment,  without  even 
looking  at  it  myself.' 

"I  hesitated  no  longer,  but  handed  the  paper  to  him 
just  as  it  was.  The  Prince  wrote  a  note  there  in  my 
presence.  He  put  the  manuscript  with  the  note  into  an 
envelope,  and  calling  an  aide-de-camp,  sent  the  package 
to  the  Emperor. 

"I  confess  that  on  leaving  Prince  Gortchakoff  I  was  in 
what  may  be  called  a  'state  of  mind.'  The  Emperor  was 
to  leave  for  Berlin  within  four  days.  I  could  not  ask  for 
another  audience.  Prince  Gortchakoff  was  laid  up  at 
home,  and  it  was  not  even  certain  that  he  would  be 
able  to  accompany  the  Czar.  How,  then,  could  I  learn 
the  effect  produced  upon  him  by  the  despatch  from  the 
Duke  Decazes  with  its  dangerous  passages  ?  I  was  myself 
ill  on  the  following  day,  having  been  overexcited  by  the 
events  which  had  taken  place,  and  I  was  obliged  to  remain 
in  bed.  My  secretary  brought  me  the  news  that  the 
Emperor  was  to  go  that  very  evening  to  a  soiree  at  the 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE   OF    1875  113 

Princess  Yousoupoff's.  I  sent  for  my  doctor,  and  after 
much  persuasion  induced  him  to  let  me  get  up  and  go 
to  this  party.  I  arrived  after  the  entertainment  had 
begun,  but  I  was  scarcely  inside  the  great  gallery  when  I 
saw  the  Emperor  entering  it  at  the  opposite  end.  I 
noticed  that  he  was  looking  at  me.  Then  he  made  a 
slight  sign  of  recognition  and  came  slowly  toward  me 
between  the  hedge,  so  to  speak,  of  guests  that  was  formed 
on  either  side.  As  he  advanced,  I  felt  myself  turning 
pale.  But  when  he  had  come  up  he  stretched  out  both 
hands,  and  as  everybody  had  discreetly  gone  a  short 
distance  away,  said: 

"  '  I  have  been  greatly  touched  by  your  confidence.  Do 
not  regret  it.  You  may  be  sure  that  all  that  is  humanly 
possible  I  shall  do.  You  will  not  be  attacked  unawares. 
I  swear  it.' 

"Two  days  afterward  I  was  present  among  the  staff 
officers  near  the  Emperor  during  a  review.  At  its  close, 
and  as  I  passed  before  the  Emperor  to  take  leave  of  him, 
he  stopped  me  with  a  sign,  and  said:  'Adieu,  General; 
on,  mieux,  au  revoir.  Rassurez  voire  gouvernement* 
Then,  with  a  kindly  smile,  he  recalled  the  confidential 
passages  in  the  despatch  from  the  Duke  Decazes,  saying: 
'Tell  the  Duke  Decazes  he  may  be  tranquil.  There 
will  be  no  surprise.' 

"There,"  concluded  General  Leflo,  turning  to  me; 
"now  you  have  the  complete  and  detailed  account  of  my 
personal  action  in  the  affair  of  1875.  The  rest  took 
place  in  Berlin,  for  on  the  morrow  the  Emperor  left  St. 
Petersburg,  and  I  did  not  see  him  again." 

If  the  preceding  narrative  has  been  read  with  attention, 
the  conclusion  will  appear  obvious.     As  has  been  seen, 


114  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

it  was  M.  de  Radowitz  who  revealed  to  M.  Gontaut-Biron 
the  plan  of  the  military  party  in  all  its  details.  Such  an 
indiscretion  as  this  on  the  part  of  a  German  diplomatist, 
unless  it  was  committed  by  order,  would  have  drawn 
down  upon  him  the  severest  piinishment.  But  who 
could  possibly  have  ordered  this  indiscretion  ?  Certainly 
not  Count  Moltke,  who  was  pursuing  his  plan  of  attack 
with  his  characteristic  tenacity.  It  was  Prince  Bismarck 
— and  the  fact  does  him  the  greatest  honour — who 
ordered  M.  de  Radowitz  to  let  M.  de  Gontaut-Biron  know 
what  was  going  on  in  Germany.  Prince  Bismarck  knew 
that  the  Emperor  William  I.  had  been  much  influenced 
by  Coimt  Moltke' s  pertinacity.  He  knew  that  on  the 
military  ground  there  was  no  chance  of  his  intervention. 
But  he  saw,  not  only  that  the  rights  of  nations  and 
national  honour  forbade  the  execution  of  this  scheme 
as  an  ineradicable  blot  on  the  pages  of  history,  but 
also  that  politically — from  the  point  of  view,  that  is, 
of  the  attitude  of  England  and  Russia — such  an  en- 
terprise might  turn  out  to  be  most  disastrous  for 
Germany.  Austria,  moreover,  had  not  forgotten  the 
defeat  of  1866,  and  there  was  the  danger  that  it 
might  join  Russia  and  England  to  prevent  such 
an  attack  on  France.  Prince  Bismarck,  therefore, 
thought  that  the  best  way  to  cut  short  a  project  of  which 
he  was  himself  no  longer  the  master  was  to  reveal  it  to 
official  Europe  and  let  the  force  of  public  opinion  take 
its  dissuasive  course. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  action  on  his  part  was 
traitorous  toward  the  German  military  party.  But  that 
is  absurd.  There  was  a  consideration  in  Prince  Bismarck's 
mind  above  and  beyond  this.      It  was  the  historic  honour 


THE   FRENCH   SCARE   OF    1875  115 

of  the  German  nation  and  the  danger  to  which,  in  spite 
of  French  weakness,  his  country  might  be  exposed. 
Moreover,  all  who  remarked  that  during  the  Berlin 
Congress  M.  de  Radowitz,  as  secretary,  was  seated  for 
an  entire  month  directly  in  front  of  Prince  Bismarck, 
that  the  Prince  treated  him  always  with  the  utmost 
kindness,  and  that  until  Prince  Bismarck's  fall  he  was 
the  recipient  of  constant  favours  from  the  Chancellor, 
perceived  clearly  enough  in  these  marks  of  special  honour 
the  evidence  of  M.  de  Radowitz's  great  role  during  the 
crisis  of  1875.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  latter 
acted  by  special  order,  and  that  this  historic  episode 
occurred  as  I  have  related  it.  The  hostile  projects  of 
Count  Moltke  remained  unfulfilled  only  because  of 
Prince  Bismarck's  failure  to  cooperate.  He  undermined 
them  by  bold  but  direct  tactics,  which  were  quite  ir 
keeping  with  his  well-known  audacity. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Berlin  Congress 

The  publication,  in  the  Times,  of  the  Treaty  of  Berlin 
at  the  very  hour  it  was  being  signed  in  Berlin,  was, 
according  to  universal  opinion,  the  greatest  journalistic 
feat  on  record,  and  that  publication,  due  to  me,  is  the 
subject  of  the  chapter  I  am  writing.  I  say  this  plainly 
because  I  feel  no  pride  about  it.  To  have  published  an 
important  document  before  anybody  else  does  not  make 
you  a  great  writer  or  even  a  great  journalist,  and  I  would 
rather  have  written  "The  Battle  of  Dorking"  than  have 
published  all  the  secret  documents  in  the  world.  Any 
journalist  by  profession  might  have  done  what  I  did  if 
he  had  said  "I  will  do  it,"  and  had  thought  over  the 
ways  of  accomplishing  his  scheme.  It  was  a  feat  in 
which  neither  talent  nor  science  stood  for  anything. 

The  story  I  am  about  to  tell  must  not  therefore  be 
ascribed  to  vanity,  but  should  merely  be  considered  as 
the  fulfilment  of  a  duty  to  my  journalistic  profession, 
to  which  I  am  devoted.  People  ought  to  know  by  what 
efforts  of  imagination  and  perseverance  one  sometimes 
succeeds  in  keeping  them  posted,  especially  as  the 
reader  who  runs  his  eye  over  a  document  paraded  in  the 
columns  of  a  newspaper  is  apt  to  fancy  that  it  had 
simply  to  be  asked  for  or  bought.  Now,  if  documents 
had  merely  to  be  bought,  nothing  would  be  easier  than 
to  procure  them.     Rich  papers  would  purchase  them, 

ii6 


M.   DE   BLCnVITZ   IN    1H7.S  AT  THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  117 

while  the  others,  as  is  customary,  would  reprint  them 
gratis  without  informing  their  readers  from  what  source 
they  were  derived.  But  this  is  not  enough.  To  be  able 
to  pay  for  a  document  is  not  sufficient,  for  in  the  majority 
of  cases  bought  documents  are  spurious ;  men  who  possess 
genuine  ones  refuse  to  sell  them.  I  will,  therefore, 
relate  the  history  of  the  acquisition  of  a  docu- 
ment which  necessitated  not  only  the  spending  of  money, 
but  long  preliminary  labour,  the  warding-off  of  failure, 
and  the  throwing- off  the  scent  of  those  who  sought  to 
discover  the  origin  of  the  communication.  I  give  the 
story  because  it  ought  not  to  die  with  me,  and  because 
it  belongs  to  the  history  of  modem  journalism. 

In  October,  1877,  on  calling  one  morning  on  the 
Duke  Decazes,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  in  the  large 
ofhce  he  occupied  on  the  first  floor  at  the  Quai  d'Orsay, 
he  said  to  me : 

"There  will  soon  be  a  Congress  for  the  settlement  of 
the  Eastern  question.  I  shall  be  the  representative  of 
France.  I  shall  then  have  been  Member  of  Parliament, 
Ambassador,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  Plenipo- 
tentiary representing  France  at  an  International  Diplo- 
matic Congress.  People  will  no  longer  be  able  to  twit 
me  with  not  having  worthily  upheld  the  name  I  bear, 
and  with  not  having  at  least  endeavoured  to  give  fresh 
lustre  to  it." 

Then,  after  a  few  minutes'  silence,  he  added : 

"You  ought  to  go  to  the  Congress;  it  will  be  very 
interesting;  and  I  will  do  all  I  can,  consistently  with  my 
duty,  to  facilitate  your  task." 

"You  forget.  Monsieur  le  Due,"  I  said,  "that  rather 
more  than  two  years  ago  there  appeared  in  the  Times  a 


ii8  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

letter  entitled  'A  French  Scare,'  denouncing  the  war- 
like projects  of  the  German  military  party,  and  stating 
that  the  author  of  that  letter  could  not  go  to  Berlin, 
where  the  Congress  will  be  held,  without  incurring  the 
risk  of  much  that  is  disagreeable." 

"  I  am  sure  that  nothing  will  be  done  to  remind  you  of 
that,  and  I  still  think  that,  if  you  are  told  to  go,  you  should 
willingly  do  so." 

By  a  rather  curious  coincidence  I  had  received  a  call 
that  very  afternoon  from  a  young  foreigner,  whom  a 
friend  warmly  recommended  to  me.  This  young  man 
had  a  pleasing,  intelHgent  countenance,  and  impressed 
me  very  favourably.  He  told  me  he  had  left  the  country 
because  his  brother  had  been  induced  to  gamble,  had 
lost  all  that  both  of  them  possessed,  had  victimised 
people,  and  had  gone  away  leaving  his  debts;  that  he 
himself,  though  clear  of  it  all,  had  been  forced  to  emigrate 
to  escape  the  shame  of  constantly  hearing  abused  the 
name  of  his  brother,  whom  he  nevertheless  dearly  loved. 
What  he  now  wanted  was  to  earn  a  small  sum  which 
would  enable  him  to  go  to  the  colonies,  to  try  and 
make  a  fortune  and  to  retrieve  his  name  by  paying  his 
brother's  debts. 

The  story  was  quite  true.  This  honest  young  man 
interested  me  very  much.  I  felt  that  he  was  ready  to 
make  the  greatest  efforts  to  attain  his  object,  and  I 
promised  to  see  what  I  could  do  for  him. 

I  made  several  applications  in  his  favour,  but  without 
success.  This  was  all  the  more  strange,  as  the  yoimg 
man  had  an  excellent  bearing,  was  very  intelligent,  spoke 
several  languages,  wrote  them  fairly  well,  and  would 
have    made   the    most    valuable    secretary    imaginable. 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  119 

He  called  pn  me  several  times  and  I  became  more  and 
more  interested  in  him.  One  morning  when  he  arrived 
I  had  just  had  a  letter  informing  me  that  there  was  an 
idea  of  sending  me  to  the  Berlin  Congress,  the  meeting 
of  which  had  been  delayed  for  a  time,  but  which  was 
certain  to  take  place  in  the  course  of  that  year.  It  was 
then  January.  Marshal  MacMahon  had  been  defeated, 
and  the  Duke  Decazes  had  fallen.  There  was  an 
attempt  to  put  forward  the  Duke  as  Plenipotentiary, 
M.  Waddington,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  being  too 
much  of  a  novice  in  diplomacy  to  assume  such  a  post. 

I  knew  M.  Waddington  well.  M.  Dufaure  had  deputed 
me  two  days  before  the  formation  of  his  Cabinet  to  ask 
him  whether  he  would  consent  to  take  over  the  portfolio  of 
the  Foreign  Office,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  that,  although 
Madame  Waddington  had  strongly  dissuaded  him,  he 
had  nevertheless  accepted.  He  was  very  nervous  at 
first,  and  afraid  of  opening  his  mouth  lest  he  should 
commit  a  blunder.  I  knew,  therefore,  that  there  was 
no  relying  on  him  at  Berlin  for  helping  me  in  my 
task,  and  that  for  fear  of  compromising  his  diplomatic 
fame  he  would  maintain  absolute  reticence. 

I  reflected  that  in  going  to  Berlin  I  should  encounter 
the  hostility  of  the  Chancellor  and  most  of  his  supporters, 
as  they  resented  my  letter  of  1875.  The  English  diplo- 
matists make  it  a  rule  to  communicate  nothing;  the 
Russians  would  distrust  the  correspondent  of  an  English 
journal ;  Count  Corti,  if  it  were  he  who  represented  Italy, 
would  be  exposed  to  a  violent  opposition,  and  would  not 
risk  receiving  blows  by  making  confidences;  and  the 
Austrians,  hedged  in  by  Germany  and  Russia,  would  not 
venture  to  open  their  mouths.     As  for  the  Turks,  like  all 


I20  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

those  marked  out  beforehand  for  victims,  they  would  be 
afraid  of  their  own  shadow,  even  if  they  had  a  shadow,  of 
which  I  was  not  certain. 

On  reflection  I  felt  that  I  was  going  to  make  a  grand 
fiasco  at  Berlin  and  compromise  a  career  which,  tolerably 
brilliant  at  the  outset,  had  already  brought  on  me  much 
resentment,  as  well  as  caltminies  and  attacks  of  which  I 
have  not  ceased  to  be  proud.  The  idea  was  unbearable, 
and  I  felt  that,  in  the  interest  of  the  Times  as  well  as  in 
my  own  interest,  it  would  be  better  for  me  not  to  go  to 
the  Congress. 

Just  then  my  yoimg  friend  was  announced.  I  had  not 
seen  him  for  a  long  time  and  had  positively  allowed 
him  to  slip  my  memory.  Here  I  must  confess  that  I 
have  a  theory  which  will  perhaps  be  ridiculed,  but  which 
has  governed  my  whole  life.  I  believe  in  the  constant 
intervention  of  a  Supreme  Power,  directing  not  only  our 
destiny  in  general,  but  such  actions  of  ours  as  influence 
oiir  destiny.  When  I  see  that  nothing  in  nature  is  left 
to  chance,  that  immutable  laws  govern  every  movement, 
that  the  faintest  spark  that  glimmers  in  the  firmament 
disappears  and  reappears  with  strict  pim.ctuality,  I 
cannot  suppose  that  anything  to  do  with  mankind  goes 
by  chance,  and  that  every  individuality  composing  it 
is  not  governed  by  a  definite  and  inflexible  plan.  The 
great  men  whose  names  escape  oblivion  are  like  the 
planets  which  we  know  by  name,  and  which  stand  out 
from  among  the  multitude  of  stars  without  names.  We 
know  their  motions  and  destinies.  We  know  at  what 
time  the  comet  moving  in  infinite  space  will  reappear, 
and  that  the  smallest  stars,  whose  existence  escapes  us, 
obey  the  fixed  law  which  governs  the  universe.     Under 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  121 

various  names,  in  changing  circumstances,  by  successive 
and  coordinate  evolutions,  the  great  geniuses  known  to 
the  world,  those  whose  names  have  escaped  oblivion, 
reappear,  Moses  is  reflected  in  Confucius,  Mohammed 
in  John  Huss,  Cyrus  lives  again  in  Caesar,  and  Caesar  in 
Napoleon,  Attila  is  repeated  in  Peter  the  Great,  and 
Frederick  11.  in  Bismarck,  Louis  le  D6bonnaire  in  Philip 
VIL,  and  Catalina  in  Boulanger.  Charlemagne  and 
Joan  of  Arc  alone  have  not  yet  reappeared,  the  one  to 
revive  authority  and  the  other  la  pudeur.  .  .  ,  Every- 
thing moves  by  a  fixed  law,  and  man  is  master  of  his 
own  destiny  only  because  he  can  accept  or  refuse,  by 
his  own  intervention  and  action,  the  place  he  should  fill 
and  the  path  traced  out  for  him  by  the  general  decree, 
which  regulates  the  movements  of  every  creature. 

By  virtue  of  this  theory,  it  will  be  easily  understood 
that  I  have  always  endeavoured  to  divine  the  intentions 
and  designs  of  the  Supreme  Will  which  directs  us.  I 
have  always  sought  not  to  thwart  that  ubiquitous  guid- 
ance, but  to  enter  on  the  path  which  it  seemed  to  point 
out  to  me.  As  at  the  very  time  the  idea  of  going  to 
Berlin  plunged  me  in  despair  my  door  opened  and  I  saw 
my  young  friend  enter,  it  struck  me  that  he  was  destined 
to  assist  me  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  devolving 
on  me  at  Berlin. 

"  You  are  still  bent  on  imdertaking  whatever  is  honestly 
possible  to  effect  your  purpose?"  I  asked. 

"  I  am,"  he  replied. 

"  Then  call  on  me  again  in  a  few  days. " 

I  went  to  see  Prince  Hohenlohe,  the  German  Ambassa- 
dor to  the  French  Republic. 

"Your  Highness,"  I  said  (this  title  appertains  to  him 


12  2  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

as  a  descendant  of  a  mediatised  family),  "  I  shall  probably 
be  deputed  to  attend  the  Berlin  Congress  as  correspond- 
ent of  my  paper.  I  know  there  is  a  lively  recollection 
of  a  letter  published  in  1875  against  the  projects  of  the 
German  military  party,  and,  as  your  Highness  has  been 
friendly  to  me,  I  have  come  to  ask  whether  or  not  you 
would  advise  me  to  go  to  Berlin,  or  whether  I  am  not 
liable  to  meet  with  a  reception  that  would  render  my 
mission  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible." 

The  Prince  was  silent  a  few  seconds. 

"I  must  reflect,"  he  said;  "come  again  in  three  days." 

Three  days  meant  that  he  would  make  inquiries 
at  Berlin. 

When  I  returned  he  said: 

"I  have  reflected.  You  can  go  to  Berlin.  You  will 
be  well  received." 

Two  days  later  my  young  friend  called  again.  "This," 
I  said,  "is  what  I  want  you  to  do.  You  must  leave 
Paris  in  a  few  days.  Here  is  a  letter  of  introduction, 
from  a  friend  of  mine  not  concerned  in  politics,  to  the 
private  secretary  of  a  foreign  statesman  who  will  cer- 
tainly represent  his  country  at  the  Berlin  Congress. 
You  will  present  yourself  with  this  letter,  as  a  young 
man  seeking  a  situation  that  is  liable  to  improve  rapidly, 
but  to  which  at  present  no  salary  is  attached.  You 
have  some  weeks,  perhaps  months,  before  you.  You 
will  employ  them  in  getting  an  introduction  to  the  chief 
of  the  person  to  whom  you  are  recommended,  and  you 
will  manage  so  that,  when  the  Congress  convenes,  if  he 
goes  you  go  with  him.  I  shall  be  there.  I  do  not  ask 
you  to  divulge  the  smallest  secret  to  me  or  to  commit 
the  slightest  indiscretion.     You  will  never  speak  to  me 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  123 

of  things  about  to  be  done.  You  will  simply  help  me  in 
forestalling  the  information  of  others,  and  when  the  Con- 
gress has  adopted  articles  you  will  communicate  them  to 
me ;  but  I  shall  not  publish  them  till  the  day  the  Congress 
holds  its  last  sitting,  in  order  not  to  thwart  its  labours. 
Here  is  the  address  at  which  you  will  keep  me  posted; 
and  when  the  Congress  is  over,  provided  you  have  faith- 
fully performed  your  task,  I  will  hand  you  the  sum  you 
deem  necessary  for  making  your  fortune  in  the  colonies." 

Four  days  afterward  he  started. 

Several  weeks  elapsed,  and  the  constantly  deferred  Con- 
gress was  convened  for  the  13th  of  June,  1878.  I  arrived 
at  Berlin  on  the  nth.  On  the  way  and  at  Berlin  I  had 
a  pleasant  reception,  as  I  had  been  assured.  Everybody 
was  affable,  but,  as  I  had  foreseen,  nobody  gave  me  the 
slightest  information.  Some  days  before  starting  I  had 
said  to  a  German  diplomatist : 

"At  Paris,  the  fish  talk ;  atBerlin,  the  parrots  are  dumb." 

The  remark  had  been  repeated,  and  people  seemed 
resolved  on  confirming  it. 

Lord  Odo  Russell,  though  neither  a  parrot  nor  a 
fish,  received  me  with  the  charming  manners  which 
made  him  so  popular,  but  did  not  give  me  the  smallest 
item  of  information. 

M.  Waddington  was  visibly  embarrassed  at  receiv- 
ing me.  It  was  much  the  same  everywhere — affable 
greetings,  pressing  invitations,  great  courtesy,  but 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  for  the  impatient  tooth  of 
the  correspondent. 

Prince  Bismarck,  in  receiving  the  Plenipotentiaries, 
had  told  them  that  indiscretions  must  be  avoided  at  all 
cost,  and  that  the  journalists  who  had  invaded  Berlin 


124  MEMOIRS   OF   M.    de   BLOWITZ 

must  be  prevented  from  sending  their  papers  authentic 
information.  Outside  rumours  must  not  hamper  the 
march  of  the  Congress;  and  it  was  also,  I  think,  a 
question  of  keeping  up  the  reputation  for  muteness  of 
the  German  capital. 

On  the  13th  of  June  the  Congress  opened.  The  jour- 
nalists assembled  at  Berlin  walked  like  exiled  shadows  in 
the  Wilhelmstrasse,  lying  in  wait  for  the  echoes  which 
escaped  or  might  escape  from  the  Congress  hall.  They 
learned  that  the  Chancellor  had  made  the  members 
pledge  themselves  to  absolute  silence  on  the  deliberations 
of  the  Congress.     Hence,  general  consternation  ! 

On  the  night  of  the  13th  I  talked  with  my  young  friend, 
the  only  interview  I  had  with  him  during  my  whole  stay. 
He  had  succeeded  splendidly.  He  was  at  Berlin  as  a  kind 
of  diplomatic  outsider,  receiving  no  salary,  no  lodging, 
nothing,  indeed,  but  deputed  to  cooperate  in  the  labours 
imposed  by  the  Congress  on  one  of  its  members.  He  felt 
himself,  however,  closely  watched.  He  brought  me  some 
summary  information  of  no  great  importance,  but 
which  served  me  as  a  starting-point,  and  enabled  me, 
indeed,  from  the  very  next  day,  to  give  my  correspond- 
ence a  more  dignified  character  and  to  collect  some 
positive  facts. 

The  real  labours  of  the  Congress  had  not  begun.  We 
felt  that  we  should  not  meet  again,  and,  indeed,  I  never 
met  him  afterward.  It  was  settled  that  we  should  on 
no  account  employ  an  intermediary,  which  would  have 
caused  us  constant  uneasiness  and  would  have  exposed 
us  to  voluntary  or  unvoluntary  imprudence.  Finally, 
at  four  in  the  morning,  we  adopted  the  following  plan — 
a  very  poor  one,  but  it  seemed  preferable  to  any  others : 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  125 

As  I  had  hired  a  carriage  by  the  month,  I  was  to 
let  it  stand  waiting  in  the  evening  at  some  spot. 
The  carriage  windows  were  to  be  open,  and  he  in  passing 
was  to  throw  in  his  communications,  written  on  very- 
thin  paper  and  forming  a  tiny  memorandum-book. 
Though  not  very  well  satisfied  with  this  plan,  I  could 
hit  on  no  other,  nor  he  either,  and  we  parted  with 
this  understanding. 

He  left  the  room,  but  he  returned  almost  immediately, 
saying : 

"Excuse  me;  I  have  taken  your  hat  for  mine." 

An  idea  struck  me. 

"Shut  the  door,"  I  said,  "and  sit  down;  your  method 
of  communication  is  found." 

That  method,  which  succeeded  admirably,  was  of 
childish  simplicity. 

I  was  staying  at  the  Kaiserhof .  Every  day  he  came 
there  for  his  lunch  and  dinner.  There  was  a  rack  where 
hats  were  hung.  He  placed  his  communications  in 
the  lining  of  his  hat,  and  we  exchanged  hats  on  leaving 
the  table.  When  I  was  to  dine  out,  I  gave  him  notice 
overnight,  and  told  him  at  what  hour,  before  or  after 
dinner,  I  should  take  tea.  Only  twice  were  we  forced 
to  put  off  the  communication  till  the  following  day. 

Once,  however,  we  had  a  scare. 

One  of  my  English  colleagues,  on  leaving  the  dining- 
room,  made  a  mistake  and  took  my  friend's  hat.  Without 
looking  at  each  other,  we  felt,  as  he  wrote  me  next  day, 
that  we  turned  pale.  If  the  colleague  in  question  had 
kept  the  hat,  he  might  have  discovered  the  third  article 
of  the  treaty,  which  had  been  adopted  at  the  previous 
day's  sitting,  and  also  a  hint  of  the  difficulties  that  had 


126  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

arisen  between  Russia  and  England  on  the  question 
of  the  boundaries  of  Bulgaria,  and  very  disagreeable 
consequences  for  my  friend  might  have  been  the  result. 
Fortunately,  on  reaching  the  door  the  Englishman  put  on 
the  hat,  which  dropped  over  on  his  nose.  He  laughingly 
took  it  off  and  replaced  in  on  its  peg.  I  had  risen  to  take 
the  hat  from  him,  but  sat  down  again.  I  breathed 
freely,  and  my  friend  must  have  done  the  same. 

This  plan  was  pursued  without  a  hitch  until  the 
3rd  of  July.  The  brief  notes  which  I  received  in  this 
way  enabled  me  to  see  several  members  of  the  Congress 
during  the  evening,  beginning  with  the  most  communi- 
cative one  and  then  going  to  others,  piecing  things 
together,  and  thus  composing  a  perfect  description  of 
the  sitting  just  held. 

As  an  example  of  how,  in  such  a  case,  information 
might  be  gathered,  one  evening  after  dinner  I  found  this 
in  the  hat : 

"  I  have  not  gleaned  much.  Prince  Gortchakoff  has 
made  a  speech  which  created  a  little  amusement,  ending 
with  the  words :  '  Russia  is  more  jealous  of  gathering 
the  laurels  of  glory  than  the  olive  branch  of  peace  ! " ' 

With  this  phrase,  I  went  to  a  diplomatist  who  was 
an  ardent  admirer  of  the  old  Chancellor.  The  conversa- 
tion began  with  commonplaces,  but  inevitably  turned 
on  the  labours  of  the  Congress. 

"  It  seems,"  I  said,  "  that  some  members  of  the  Congress 
ridicule  the  speech  just  delivered  by  Prince  Gortchakoff, 
especially  the  phrase  with  which  he  ended,  '  Russia, '  etc. " 

The  diplomatist  drew  himself  up. 

"It  is  very  wrong  to  ridicule  it,"  he  said,  "and  I 
hope  you  are  not  going  to  be  the  echo  of  these  unjust 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  127 

railleries.  The  Russian  Chancellor's  speech  was  very 
acute  and  clever,  despite  its  apparent  pretentiousness. 
He  clearly  showed  that — "  and  he  proceeded  to  repeat 
some  passages  of  the  speech. 

I  paid  two  other  visits,  and  toward  midnight  could 
telegraph  the  speech  accurately  enough  for  Lord  Salisbury 
laughingly  to  say  to  me  next  evening  at  Count  St. 
Vallier's  soiree : 

"You  forgot  a  few  commas  and  semicolons,  but  with 
that  exception  the  speech  was  given  quite  accurately." 

This  did  not  prevent  a  newspaper  from  declaring  it 
apocryphal,  because  I  had  said  "  Prince  Gortchakofi 
rose,"  whereas  Plenipotentiaries  always  speak  seated. 

I  only  wish  to  show  how  I  had  to  go  to  work  to  learn 
what  had  taken  place  at  the  Congress. 

I  afterward  learned  that  Prince  Bismarck  was  very 
much  annoyed  at  the  publication  of  the  speech,  and  that 
at  the  next  sitting,  seated  next  to  a  diplomatist  from 
whom  he  fancied  I  had  obtained  it,  he  lifted  up  the 
table-cloth  and  sarcastically  said : 

"  I  am  looking  to  see  if  Blowitz  is  not  underneath." 

The  fact  is,  I  had  done  well  to  go  there.  Tongues 
had  been  looser  at  Berlin  than  at  Paris,  and  I  was  able 
on  the  morning  of  the  22  nd  of  June  to  publish  the  agree- 
ment effected  the  previous  night  between  England  and 
Russia  on  the  Bulgarian  question. 

That  question  had  raised  such  difficulties  that  the 
sittings  of  the  Congress  had  been  suspended,  and  Mr. 
Disraeli,  the  future  Lord  Beaconsfield,  either  from  adroit- 
ness or  in  all  sincerity,  had  engaged  a  special  train  for 
Monday,  the  24th,  to  leave  Berlin. 

It  would  have  been  a  disastrous  rupture. 


128  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

The  whole  world  was  anxiously  waiting. 

The  22  nd  was  a  Saturday. 

If  I  had  not  been  able  to  publish  that  morning  that  an 
agreement  had  been  effected,  Saturday's  stock  exchange 
would  have  had  a  terrible  fall  and  many  people  would 
certainly  have  been  ruined.  But  the  agreement  was 
effected  at  midnight  on  Friday,  and  was  known  in  London 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  in  the  rest  of  Europe 
at  eight  or  nine.  No  stock  exchange  maneuver  was 
practicable,  and  by  this  revelation  I  made  numberless 
enemies  among  those  who  were  speculating  on  a  rupture. 

When  the  Wolff  Agency  at  Berlin  published  a  London 
telegram  quoting  the  information,  many  even  among 
the  members  of  the  Congress — for  I  knew  them — were 
ignorant  of  the  agreement.  It  was  not  to  be  communi- 
cated to  them  till  Saturday's  sitting ;  the  only  thing  they 
knew  was  that  they  were  convened  for  that  day. 

I  had  every  reason,  therefore,  to  be  satisfied,  and 
things  went  on  well  till  the  4th  of  July. 

On  the  3rd  my  friend  had  committed  an  imprudence. 

When  I  started  for  Berlin — or  rather,  when  Prince 
Hohenlohe  had  encouraged  me  to  go — I  had  said  to  him : 

"  Does  your  Highness  think  the  Chancellor  will  grant 
me  an  audience?  In  the  first  place,  I  am  very  anxious 
to  know  a  statesman  who  is  the  great  historical  figure 
of  the  second  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Moreover, 
to  go  to  Berlin  without  seeing  Prince  Bismarck  is  like 
going  to  Rome  without  seeing  the  Pope.  It  would  be  a 
mortification  for  me. " 

Prince  Hohenlohe,  who  is  the  most  perfect  gentleman 
I  have  ever  known,  and  who  possesses  great  diplomatic 
■finesse  but  does  not  employ  it  in  his  private  relations. 


PRINCE    HOHENLOHE 
[From   an   autographed   photo   presented   to   M.   de   Blowitz] 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  129 

especially  when  he  meets  any  one  who  trusts  him,  replied 
that  he  could  pledge  himself  to  nothing  on  that  point. 

"All  I  can  promise  you,"  he  said,  "is  that  I  will  do 
my  utmost  to  assist  you  in  obtaining  an  audience,  but  I 
do  not  answer  in  any  way  for  the  success  of  a  step  which 
I  shall  take  but  once.  I  could  not  ask  for  it  a  second 
time." 

The  I  st  of  July  arrived.  Prince  Bismarck  had  replied 
in  the  negative  to  the  request  for  an  audience,  which  had 
been  addressed  to  him  in  my  name  by  Prince  Hohenlohe. 

"He  had  received,"  he  said,  "hundreds  of  applications 
for  an  audience.  Everybody  was  at  Berlin,  and  all  the 
leading  personages  had  asked  to  see  him.  He  could  not 
receive  me  without  receiving  the  others,  especially  the 
journalists.  The  German  journalists,  whom  he  had 
always  refused  to  receive,  would  never  forgive  him  if  he 
granted  me  an  interview. " 

I  abandoned  the  hope  of  seeing  him  and  felt  very  much 
vexed,  for  by  strange  ill-luck  I  had  not  even  caught  sight 
of  him. 

But  on  the  afternoon  of  the  ist  of  July,  on  entering 
the  hotel.  Prince  Hohenlohe's  card  was  handed  to  me. 
He  had  called  at  the  hotel,  and  had  written  on  the  card 
that  he  wished  to  see  me  as  soon  as  possible.  He  added 
that  he  would  be  at  the  EngHsh  Embassy  reception 
that  evening. 

I  went  to  the  Embassy,  and  the  Prince  arrived  at  about 
eleven  o'clock.  My  surprise  was  great  indeed  when  he 
informed  me  that  Prince  Bismarck  asked  me  to  dine 
with  him  next  day  at  half -past  six,  in  morning  dress. 

On  the  2nd,  accordingly,  at  a  quarter-past  six, 
Prince  Hohenlohe,  as  had  been  arranged,  called  for  me 


i:;o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 


o 


at  the  hotel.  I  was  waiting  at  the  door  for  him,  and  we 
went  together  to  the  Chancellor's. 

I  remained  there  until  eleven  at  night. 

I  will  tell  you  in  the  next  chapter  all  about  that 
memorable  interview  of  five  hours'  duration. 

It  was  one  of  the  very  rare  ones  I  have  had  in  my  life 
which  did  not  disappoint  me  and  which  even  surpassed 
my  expectations. 

All  that  I  will  mention  here  is  that  on  the  following  day, 
the  3rd  of  July,  every  one  in  Berlin  knew  that  I  had 
dined  with  the  Chancellor,  and,  as  was  natural,  the 
attitude  of  the  diplomatists  toward  me  suddenly  changed. 
They  made  a  great  deal  of  me  and  made  overtures  to  me, 
I  had  no  further  need  to  ask  for  information,  as  the  infor- 
mation I  required  came  to  me. 

This  was  all  the  more  pleasant  as  I  was  not  able  from 
this  time  forth  to  obtain  what  I  needed  from  the  source 
which  had  served  me  so  well  at  the  commencement. 

My  friend,  who  had  until  then  been  exceedingly 
prudent,  on  learning  that  I  had  seen  the  Chancellor 
in  so  special  a  way,  assumed  airs,  and,  without 
betraying  me  in  any  way,  provoked  distrust.  From 
that  time  he  was  kept  at  a  distance,  and  from  the 
4th  of  July  his  hat  contained  nothing  but  rueful 
confessions  of  his  imprudence  and  bitter  regrets  at 
being  unable  to  serve  me.  I  did  my  utmost  to  console 
him,  and,  though  I  did  not  see  him  again,  I  learned  that 
he  had  left  Europe  and  has  since  succeeded  admirably 
in  his  enterprises.  Still,  I  lost  all  chance  of  having  the 
treaty,  though  information  of  the  Congress  reached  me 
thenceforth,  as  I  have  said,  without  difficulty. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  a  week  before  the  Congress  closed. 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  131 

I  was  reading  in  the  hall  of  the  Kaiserhof  a  private 
letter  which  had  just  arrived  and  which  contained  the 
following  passage : 

"I  have  watched  with  delight  your  campaign  in  Berlin. 
You  would  be  crowning  that  campaign  if  you  were  the  first 
to  publish  the  treaty,  and  I  need  not  tell  you  with  what 
joy  I  should  see  you  realise  what  would  be  the  greatest 
feat  of  modern  journalism." 

At  that  moment  a  diplomatist  who  had  always  been 
friendly  to  me  walked  through  the  hall  of  the  hotel.  I 
must  have  looked  downcast,  for  he  came  up  to  me  with 
alacrity  and  said,  "Have  you  been  getting  bad  news?" 

With  the  instinctive  idea  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken,  and  according  to  which  a  man's  destiny  depends 
on  the  sagacity  with  which  he  seizes  the  indications  given 
by  fate,  instead  of  replying,  I  showed  him  the  letter.  He 
perused  it  attentively  and  then  said,  turning  to  me, 
"So  you  are  absolutely  bent  on  forestalling  the  publi- 
cation of  the  treaty?" 

"If  I  were  asked  to  choose  between  all  the  orders  and 
decorations  in  the  world  and  the  treaty,  I  should  select 
the  latter." 

"And  how  are  you  going  to  get  it  ?" 

"I  have  just  had  an  assurance  that  Prince  Bismarck 
is  highly  satisfied  with  what  I  wrote  on  our  conversation, 
and  he  thinks  I  have  rendered  a  service  to  peace.  I  am 
going  to  ask  him  to  reward  me  by  communicating  the 
treaty  to  me." 

My  friend  reflected  a  minute,  then  exclaimed:  "No; 
do  not  ask  him  till  you  have  seen  me  again.     Walk  out 


132  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

to-morrow  between  one  and  two  in  the  Wilhelmstrasse, 
and  I  will  see  you." 

Next  day,  on  going  into  the  street,  he  came  tip  to  me 
and  hurriedly  said,  "Come  for  the  treaty  the  day  before 
the  end  of  the  Congress  and  I  promise  that  you  shall 
have  it." 

I  could  scarcely  restrain  my  delight.  Now  that 
I  was  certain  of  getting  the  treaty  I  had  a  twofold 
anxiety. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Congress  was  to  terminate  on  the 
13th.  The  Chancellor  had  positively  said  so.  It  was  a 
Saturday.  I  should  have  the  treaty  on  the  12th,  and  it 
was  necessary  at  all  cost  for  it  to  appear  on  the  13th,  for 
the  English  papers  are  not  published  on  Sundays,  and 
Monday  would  have  been  too  late.  Secondly,  it  was  not 
enough  to  have  the  treaty;  I  must  be  the  only  one  to 
have  it.  The  German  papers  were  angry  with  the  Chan- 
cellor for  not  receiving  their  representatives.  I  reflected 
that  probably,  in  order  to  pacify  them,  he  would  give 
them  the  treaty,  which  would  thus  appear  at  Berlin  on 
Saturday,  and  thus  I  should  be  beaten.  I  was  in  despair. 
How  was  I  to  prevent  Prince  Bismarck  from  doing 
what  he  chose?  How  could  I  telegraph  the  treaty?  It 
was  impossible  in  Germany  or  Austria;  and  as  for 
Paris,  it  would  be  too  late,  for,  getting  it  only  on 
Friday,  I  could  not  be  in  Paris  in  time  for  it  to  be 
published  on  Saturday  in  London. 

Finally  I  came  to  two  decisions:  I  felt  that  Brussels 
was  the  only  place  from  which  to  telegraph. 

I  called  on  Baron  Nothomb,  the  Belgian  Minister  at 
Berlin.  I  told  him  that  there  was  an  idea  of  organising  a 
nightly  telegraphic  service  between  Brussels  and  London. 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS      '  133 

I  then  asked  him  to  give  me  a  letter  for  M.  Vinchent,  the 
Director-General  at  Brussels,  urging  him  to  telegraph 
immediately  a  long  message  which  I  might  have  to  for- 
ward to  London,  to  prove  the  speed  with  which  Brussels 
and  London  could  communicate.  He  readily  gave  me 
the  letter. 

This  reassured  me  as  to  telegraphic  transmission. 
There  remained  the  question  of  preventing  anybody  else 
from  having  the  treaty. 

After  long  and  elaborate  reflection,  I  hit  upon  a  plan 
which  appeared  both  simple  and  rational.  I  asked 
Prince  Hohenlohe  and  Count  de  St.  Vallier  to  ask  Prince 
Bismarck  to  give  me  the  treaty,  and  I  reasoned  thus: 
The  Prince  says  I  have  rendered  service  to  peace.  I 
ask  him  to  reward  me  by  giving  me  the  treaty.  If  he 
gives  it,  all  will  be  well;  he  is  not  a  man  to  do  things  by 
halves.  As  it  is  to  reward  me,  he  will  not  give  it  to 
anybody  else.  As  he  alone  can  give  it  to  the  German 
press,  if  I  get  it  I  can  wait  till  the  end  of  the  Congress, 
send  it  on  Sunday  and  have  it  published  on  Monday 
morning.  If  he  refuses  me,  I  am  certain  he  will  refuse 
others.     In  either  case  I  shall  not  be  forestalled. 

Prince  Hohenlohe  and  Count  de  St.  Vallier  were  good 
enough  to  listen  to  my  request. 

On  the  evening  of  the  nth  of  July,  Prince  Hohen- 
lohe informed  me  that  next  morning  he  would  communi- 
cate to  me  the  Chancellor's  answer. 

At  half-past  nine  I  went  for  the  treaty  promised  me 
as  above  related.  It  was  given  me  with  the  exception 
of  the  last  two  articles,  which  were  not  to  be  adopted 
till  the  penultimate  sitting;  and  the  preamble,  entrusted 
to  M.  Desprez,  had  not  yet  been  drawn  up. 


134  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

With  the  treaty  in  hand  I  returned  to  the  Kaiserhof , 
to  await  Prince  Hohenlohe's  answer. 
It  arrived  at  ten,  and  was  as  follows: 

"  I  much  regret  being  unable  to  give  you  a  favourable 
reply,  but,  considering  the  ill-humour  of  the  German 
press,  the  Chancellor  is  afraid  of  irritating  it  too  much 
by  giving  you  the  treaty. " 

Thereupon  I  pretended  to  be  very  angry.  I  ordered 
my  luggage  to  be  packed,  I  asked  for  my  hotel  bill,  I 
engaged  a  compartment  in  the  12  130  train,  and  announced 
that  I  was  leaving  without  waiting  for  the  last  sitting  the 
next  day.  One  of  my  fellow-correspondents,  the  most 
talkative  of  them  all,  asked  the  reason  of  my  sudden 
departure.  I  confided  to  him  that  I  was  enraged,  that 
Prince  Bismarck,  in  spite  of  the  service  rendered  by  me, 
as  he  himself  had  qualified  it,  to  peace,  had  just  refused 
to  give  me  the  treaty.  I  showed  him  Prince  Hohenlohe's 
letter,  and  I  said  that  I  considered  this  shameful,  and 
that  I  would  not  stop  an  hour  longer  in  a  city  where 
I  was  treated  in  such  a  fashion. 

My  colleague  departed  to  repeat  my  words,  and  all  my 
brethren  came  to  condole  with  me.  My  colleague,  Mr. 
Mackenzie  Wallace,  who  had  been  very  devoted  to  me 
throughout  the  Congress,  was  apprised  by  my  secretary 
that  I  was  leaving,  and  that  in  the  interest  of  the  paper 
I  begged  him  to  start  with  me.  I  stated  that  I  was 
going  to  take  leave  of  the  Count  de  St.  Vallier. 

I  ordered  my  luggage  to  be  sent  to  the  station  where 
we  were  to  meet  Mr.  Wallace  and  my  secretary,  in  the 
compartment  reserved  for  me. 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  135 

Count  de  St.  Vallier,  then  French  Ambassador  at 
Berlin,  and  one  of  the  three  Plenipotentiaries  at  the 
Congress,  was  a  typical  French  nobleman.  Amiable, 
elegant,  attentive,  listening  readily,  having  a  natural 
polish  which  allowed  him  to  be  very  gracious  without 
risk  of  seeming  familiar,  he  had  received  me  with  a 
warmth  which  touched  me.  He  suffered  from  indiges- 
tion, had  to  diet  himself  strictly,  lived  on  milk,  and 
presided  with  perfect  grace  over  grand  banquets  at  which 
he  could  touch  nothing.  His  receptions  were  one  of  the 
charms  of  the  Congress,  and  no  higher  compliment  can 
be  paid  to  them  than  by  saying  that  invitations  to  attend 
them  were  most  eagerly  sought  after. 

As  he  had  never  ventured  to  give  me  information,  he 
had,  with  all  the  more  alacrity,  undertaken  with  Prince 
Hohenlohe  to  submit  to  my  request  the  failure  of  which 
had  just  been  intimated  to  me. 

I  called  on  him  at  eleven,  having  asked  him  to  receive 
me  because  I  was  leaving.  He  advanced  with  his  usual 
grace,  saying: 

"I  am  vexed,  believe  me,  at  the  failure  of  our  request, 
but  it  is  useless  to  dwell  upon  it.  I  regret  that  you  take 
the  thing  so  very  much  to  heart.  Remain  two  days 
longer.  The  Congress  will  be  over  to-mon'ow,  and,  the 
day  after,  as  simple  Ambassador,  I  could  give  you 
retrospective  details  which  would  be  interesting." 

I  thanked  him,  but  said  I  adhered  to  my  plan  of 
departure. 

"Pleasant  journey,  then.     What  can  I  do  for  you?" 

"A  great  deal,  Monsieur  le  Comte.  Give  me  the  text 
of  the  preamble  which  M.  Desprez  must  have  drawn 
up  and  which  must  be  in  your  hands." 


136  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"The  preamble,  indeed,  has  just  been  given  to  me, 
but  what  good  can  that  be  to  you?  You  do  not  want 
to  pretend  to  know  the  treaty  by  publishing  the 
preamble?" 

"Give  me  your  word  of  honour,  Monsieur  le  Comte, 
to  keep  my  secret  for  forty-eight  hours,  and  I  will  explain 
what  use  I  am  going  to  make  of  the  preamble." 

"  If  it  is  not  contrary  to  my  duty,  I  promise." 

I  unfastened  my  coat  and  showed  him  the  treaty. 

He  turned  slightly  pale  on  seeing  it. 

" I  regret,"  he  said,  "that  you  have  told  me  the  secret, 
for  if  the  Chancellor  asks  whether  I  knew  all  about  this, 
I  shall  be  forced  to  confess.  In  spite  of  this,  though, 
nothing  could  have  amused  me  more  than  this  way  of 
seeing  our  rebuff  retrieved,"  and  he  laughed  heartily. 
"As  to  the  preamble,"  he  continued,  "I  cannot  let  you 
copy  it  or  give  you  the  text,  for  I  have  no  other.  But 
sit  down.  I  will  read  it  slowly  and  aloud.  Now  is  the 
time  to  justify  yotu"  reputation  for  a  wonderful  memory." 

And  taking  up  the  manuscript,  he  read  it  slowly  and 
very  distinctly. 

I  thanked  him  and  took  leave. 

I  reached  the  station  a  few  minutes  before  the  train 
started.  Mr.  Mackenzie  Wallace  was  already  seated  in 
our  compartment.  My  secretary  was  waiting  on  the 
platform.  He  told  me  some  of  my  colleagues  were 
there  to  bid  me  farewell. 

"And  to  see  if  I  really  start,"  I  remarked. 

I  asstmied  a  gloomier  and  sterner  air  than  ever, 
which  allowed  me  to  keep  silence;  for  I  was  afraid  of 
forgetting  the  preamble  if  my  attention  were  diverted 
by  conversation. 


THE   BERLIN   CONGRESS  137 

At  length  I  was  able  to  enter  our  compartment  and  to 
salute  politely  the  persons  who  had  come  to  take  leave 
of  me. 

The  train  started. 

It  had  not  been  difficult  to  see  that  in  the  crowd 
collected  on  the  platform  there  were  people  deputed  to 
watch  me,  and  I  even  perceived  that  one  of  them,  whom 
I  had  noticed  during  my  stay  in  Berlin,  was  in  the  adjoin- 
ing compartment. 

Mr.  Wallace,  who  had  taken  a  really  fraternal  interest 
in  my  Congress  labours  and  had  often  devotedly  facili- 
tated them,  was  visibly  annoyed  at  my  rebuff,  and  my 
secretary  had  an  air  of  consternation  which  delighted 
me;  for  the  sincerity  of  his  disappointment  must  have 
been  obvious  to  every  one. 

When  we  had  passed  the  outskirts  of  Berlin  I  said 
to  my  secretary,  "Take  pen  and  ink;  I  am  going  to 
dictate  something."     I  then  dictated  the  preamble. 

When  he  had  written  this,  I  pulled  out  the  treaty. 
There  was  a  perfect  outburst  of  joy,  the  sweetest 
recompense  which  my  efforts  could  obtain;  for  I 
saw  that  two  honest  hearts  affectionately  and  unre- 
servedly sympathised  with  a  success  achieved  with 
such  difficulty. 

"  Now  we  are  not  going  to  read  the  treaty,"  I  said  to 
Mr.  Wallace.  "Here  are  needles  and  thread;  open  your 
coat ;  we  will  sew  the  treaty  and  preamble  in,  so  that  you 
will  not  have  to  trouble  about  its  safety,  and  we  will 
append  Baron  Nothomb's  letter  to  M.  Vinchent." 

When  this  was  done,  I  said  to  Mr.  Wallace:  "We  are 
evidently  being  watched,  myself  more  particularly.  At 
the  first   large  station  you  will  leave  this  compartment 


138  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

and  go  into  one  some  way  off  on  the  left,  for  on  the  right 
I  believe  there  is  some  one  watching  us.  I  shall  pretend 
not  to  know  you;  and  you  must  do  the  same  about  me. 
At  Cologne  you  will  take  the  Brussels  train,  and  you  will 
arrive  at  five  in  the  morning.  You  will  go  straight  to 
the  telegraph  office.  If,  as  I  expect,  they  refuse  to 
transmit  the  treaty  without  higher  orders,  you  must 
wake  up  M.  Vinchent,  present  Baron  Nothomb's  letter, 
and  ask  him  for  the  order  of  transmission." 

Things  happened  just  as  I  had  foreseen.  Mackenzie 
Wallace  went  into  another  compartment,  and  we  did 
not  approach  each  other ;  but  at  the  stations  where  we 
alighted  I  laughed  heartily,  for,  though  the  treaty  was 
firmly  sewed  to  the  lining  of  his  coat,  I  saw  him  from 
time  to  time  put  his  hand  to  his  heart,  as  if  to  assure 
himself  of  its  safety. 

When,  on  reaching  Brussels,  he  offered  the  telegrams 
for  the  clerk  to  coiint  the  words,  the  latter  explained : 

"Why,  it  is  the  treaty  of  Berlin;  I  cannot  undertake 
to  send  it." 

Wallace  thereupon  asked  to  see  M.  Vinchent.  He 
was  in  bed.  Wallace  showed  Baron  Nothomb's  letter 
and  insisted  on  seeing  him.  The  letter  was  sent  to  the 
Director's  house,  he  was  aroused,  and  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  later  he  wrote  at  the  foot  of  the  Baron's  letter  the 
order  of  transmission. 

At  the  very  hour  on  the  13th  of  July  when  the  treaty 
of  1878  was  signed  at  Berlin,  a  London  telegram  an- 
nounced that  the  Times  had  published  the  preamble  and 
sixty-four  articles,  with  an  English  translation  appended. 

"How  could  it  have  obtained  the  preamble  yesterday 
morning  seeing  that  it  was  not  drawn  up?"  asked  Prince 


THE  BERLIN  CONGRESS  139 

Bismarck  of  Count  de  St.  Vallier.  "Was  it  not  you, 
Count,  who  gave  it  ?" 

M.  de  St.  Vallier  had  now  no  reason  for  keeping  the 
secret  any  longer,  and  he  was  bound  to  reply  without 
hesitation.  He  therefore  frankly  related  what  had 
happened. 

"And  what  did  he  say  when  you  told  him?"  I  asked 
M.  de  St.  ValUer. 

"Excuse  me,"  replied  the  Count,  smiling,  "but  he  did 
not  tell  me  to  repeat  it  to  you." 

At  Berlin  the  news  of  the  publication  of  the  treaty 
caused  a  great  sensation.  Many  persons  immediately 
set  to  work  to  discover  from  whom  I  obtained  the  treaty. 
I  will  relate  in  another  part  of  my  memoirs  how,  five 
years  afterward,  the  Chancellor  tried  to  make  me  reveal 
the  secret.  Meanwhile,  the  account  I  have  just  given  is 
an  authentic  narrative  of  how  the  treaty  fell  into  my 
hands.  Nothing  more  will  ever  be  known,  and  if  I  have 
written  this  much,  it  is  in  order  that  the  public  may 
know  by  what  efforts,  sacrifices  and  difficulties,  and  at 
the  cost  of  what  anxiety,  one  sometimes  succeeds  in 
satisfying  its  thirst  for  knowing  and  forestalling  events. 


CHAPTER  VII 


What  Bismarck  Told  Me 


I  CANNOT  truthfully  say  that  I  was  quite  calm  and 
composed  on  the  evening  of  July  2,  1878,  when  at  half- 
past  six,  accompanied  by  Prince  von  Hohenlohe,  I 
mounted  the  pink-and-white  flagged  staircase  leading  to 
the  private  apartment  occupied  by  Prince  Bismarck 
in  Wilhelmstrasse. 

For  a  month  past,  ever  since  the  European  diplo- 
matists had  assembled  roimd  that  table  at  the  Congress 
of  Berlin,  I  had  been  wishing  for  and  trying  to  obtain 
an  interview  with  the  extraordinary  man  before  whose 
authority  every  one  bowed  and  who  was  master  of  the 
events  of  the  day.  And  now,  at  the  last  moment,  I  felt 
a  sort  of  pang  as  I  wondered  whether  I  was  going  to  be 
cruelly  disappointed  and  whether  all  my  illusions  were 
about  to  be  destroyed  at  one  blow. 

The  door  of  the  drawing-room,  into  which  Prince  von 
Hohenlohe  and  I  had  been  shown,  opened  and  the 
Chancellor  appeared. 

He  was  much  taller  than  I  had  imagined.  I  had 
never  seen  him  except  at  Madame  Tussaud's  in  London, 
where  there  is  only  a  small  figure  of  him,  and  when  I 
saw  this  giant  in  uniform  enter  the  room  I  was  quite 
taken  aback.  There  was  something  still  more  extra- 
ordinary about  his  head.  His  ears  were  large,  wide 
open  to  the  hundreds  of  rumours  which  came  to  them 

140 


WHAT   BISMARCK  TOLD   ME  141 

from  the  four  comers  of  the  universe.  His  chin  made  a 
strong  foundation  for  the  big  jaws,  which  would  certainly 
never  loose  anything  they  held  imtil  it  was  in  shreds, 
whilst  his  eyes,  well  set  between  a  projecting  eyelid  and  a 
well-exposed  eyebrow,  had  a  far-away  look  in  them,  as 
though  they  were  gazing  out  beyond  the  visible  horizon. 

The  Princess  came  into  the  room  with  the  Chancellor. 
She  sat  down  on  a  sofa,  whilst  he  sank  into  an  enormotis 
armchair  near  me. 

I  had  asked  Prince  von  Hohenlohe  whether  I  ought  to 
speak  in  French  or  in  German,  and  he  had  replied  that  I 
must  wait  for  the  Prince's  first  words.  These  first  words 
were  in  German. 

On  hearing  my  reply,  the  Princess  asked  inquisitively: 

"Do  you  speak  English  as  well  as  you  do  German  ?" 

The  Prince  interrupted  her  with  a  laugh  and  turned 
to  me. 

"I  must  tell  you,"  he  said,  "that  my  wife  has  a  theory 
that  only  thin  people  can  talk  English  well.  According 
to  this,  neither  you  nor  I  will  make  our  mark  in  that 
language." 

A  few  moments  later  we  were  seated  at  table  in  the 
dining-room.  The  Prince  appeared  to  be  in  an  excellent 
humour  that  evening. 

"I  saw  you  yesterday,"  he  said  to  me,  "on  foot,  in  Unter 
den  Linden.  You  were  going  into  a  bazaar.  What  in 
the  world  can  a  man  who  comes  from  Paris  want  to  buy 
in  our  bazaars  ?' ' 

"Your  Excellency  would  be  very  much  more  surprised 
to  hear  what  I  was  in  search  of,"  I  replied. 

"What  was  it?" 

"A  clock !     I  must  ask  you  to  excuse  my  mentioning 


142 


MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 


it,  but  I  cannot  imagine  what  has  become  of  all  those 
that  were  brought  from  France,  for  there  is  not  a  single 
one  in  my  hotel !" 

The  Chancellor  laughed  heartily  at  this  joke,  which 
was,  perhaps,  rather  risque,  and  then  he  immediately 
began  to  discuss  a  more  serious  subject.  He  asked  me 
what  were  the  latest  impressions  of  the  public  on  the 
work  of  the  Congress. 

"The  Rumanians  are  not  very  well  pleased,  "I  replied. 
**They  reckoned  on  receiving  money,  which  they  appear  to 
require  badly." 

"  Oh,  well ! "  said  the  Prince,  with  a  certain  amount  of 
vivacity,  "they  are  not  the  only  ones  who  need  it;  every 
one  is  in  the  same  condition,  and  every  one  is  economising. 
France  is  the  only  country  which  does  not  hesitate  to 
spend  millions  on  its  slightest  caprices  !" 

"  Yes, "  I  answered ; "  and  yet  it  is  a  curious  phenomenon, 
when  one  takes  into  consideration  the  temperament  of 
the  French,  to  see  that  these  people,  who  appear  to  be  so 
thoughtless  and  so  turbulent,  should  be  the  most  econom- 
ical people  in  the  world,  and  that,  in  their  coimtry,  saving 
is  organised  in  such  a  way  that  it  has  become  a  national 
theory." 

"Oh,"  interrupted  Prince  Bismarck,  turning  toward 
me,  "that  is  only  surprising  to  those  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  judging  that  coimtry  by  Paris !  But  there  is 
France  and  France,  the  French  of  Paris  and  the  French 
of  the  provinces.  The  former  are  immensely  vain  and 
amusing,  agreeable,  wasteful,  always  ready  to  knock  down 
the  lamp-posts,  have  revolutions,  and  declare  war.  They 
have  nothing  to  do  with  economy.  The  whole  world 
takes  money  to  them  and  they  squander  it.     But  at  her 


WHAT   BISMARCK  TOLD   ME  143 

side  is  the  other  France,  the  real  France,  that  of  the 
provinces  and  of  the  rural  districts — the  French  who 
work  and  labour,  who  are  steady  and  who  economise, 
and  who  pay  for  all  the  giddy  actions,  all  the  follies  of 
the  other.  When  the  former  bring  about  a  revolution, 
it  is  the  latter  who  suffer;  when  the  former  declare  war, 
it  is  the  latter  who  fight.  And  yet  the  French  of  the 
provinces  love  their  native  soil,  and  their  greatest  sacrifice 
is  to  tear  themselves  away  from  it  in  order  to  make 
their  military  service. 

"  When  I  was  in  France,  I  was  very  much  interested  in 
the  common  soldiers,  and  I  often  chatted  with  them. 
They  all  of  them  had  one  great  desire,  and  that  was  to 
finish  their  military  service  and  return  to  their  fields. 

"  If  one  only  listened  to  the  French  peasant,  there  would 
never  be  any  war;  and  yet,  when  he  does  fight,  he  fights 
well.  When  he  is  beaten  he  is  very  much  cast  down, 
and  when  he  is  victorious  he  is  delighted — there  can  be 
no  doubt  about  it;  but,  conqueror  or  conquered,  the 
one  thing  he  sees  clearly  is  that  victory  or  defeat  will 
bring  the  battle  to  a  close  and  he  will  then  be  able  to 
return  home." 

The  conversation  then  reverted  to  the  Congress.  The 
Prince  remarked  rather  severely: 

"  The  Peace  of  San  Stefano  was  one  of  the  most  thought- 
less actions  of  modem  history.  Ignatieff  made  a  blunder 
which  no  true  statesman  would  ever  have  committed. 
He  took  everything  that  he  could  get.  When  an  enemy 
is  vanquished,  and  one  has  one's  foot  on  his  neck,  he 
can  be  made  to  give  whatever  one  wants,  but  one  must 
think  of  the  consequences  of  the  victory  as  well  as  the 
consequences  of  the  defeat.     We  should  not  be  where  we 


144  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

now  are  if,  in  1866,  I  had  acted  like  Ignatieff,  if  I  had 
taken  territory  from  Austria.  At  that  time  every  one 
was  against  me.  I  had  said  when  we  started:  'If  we 
should  be  victorious  I  shall  not  annex  any  Austrian 
territory,  for  we  must  not  remain  enemies  forever.  In 
ten  or  twelve  years'  time  we  must  be  able  to  come  to  an 
understanding  with  her.'  When  we  were  victorious, 
every  one  wanted  me  to  take  territory  from  her.  I 
held  my  own,  though,  and  since  then  I  have  often  had 
cause  to  congratulate  myself  that  I  did  so. " 

At  these  words  I  could  not  help  looking  the  Prince  in 
the  face,  and  he  at  once  read  in  my  eyes  the  question  that 
was  on  my  lips,  for  without  flinching  he  said: 

"I  know  what  you  mean:  you  are  thinking  about  the 
last  war.  But  in  187 1  I  acted  in  the  same  way.  At 
that  time  France  was  in  our  hands.  Paris  was  con- 
quered, the  Commune  was  brewing,  everything  was 
disorganised;  and  if  I  had  acted  like  Ignatieff  I  should 
have  demanded  Picardy  and  Champagne.  Now  this 
never  occurred  to  any  one;  and  when  I  was  urged  to 
take  Belfort  and  Metz  I  refused,  saying,  'No,  Belfort  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  French;  it  must  remain  theirs.'  And 
even  with  regard  to  Metz,  on  seeing  the  despair  of  poor 
M.  Thiers,  I  hesitated.  But,  as  you  know,  at  the  con- 
clusion of  a  campaign  such  as  that  was,  one  has  to  take 
into  consideration  the  military  element,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  listen  to  Moltke,  who  kept  repeating  to  me  at  every 
hour  of  the  day,  'Metz  in  our  hands,  or  in  the  hands 
of  the  French,  means  a  difference  of  100,000  men,  more 
or  less,  in  the  army.'  I  could  not  impose  upon  my 
country  the  burden  of  putting  100,000  more  men  into 
active  service  at  a  given  moment." 


WHAT   BISMARCK  TOLD   ME  145 

Then,  as  all  this  recalled  M.  Thiers  to  his  mind,  the 
Chancellor  continued: 

"Ah,  the  French  were  not  just  to  poor  Thiers  !  And 
yet  he  was  a  true  patriot,  and  the  most  striking  figure 
I  have  hitherto  come  across  in  contemporary  France. 
I  felt  a  sort  of  pity  for  the  poor  old  man  who  had  travelled 
through  Europe  in  the  midst  of  a  hard  winter  to  beg  for 
help,  which  it  was  impossible  to  obtain,  and  who  kept 
crossing  and  recrossing  our  lines  aroimd  Paris,  fired  on 
by  our  posts  in  spite  of  the  strict  orders  they  had 
received." 

The  Chancellor  stroked  his  forehead  as  though  trying 
to  recall  something,  and  then  continued: 

"  I  remember, "  he  said,  "  an  incident  that  I  shall  never 
forget.  We  were  discussing  a  question  about  which  we 
could  not  come  to  an  imderstanding.  M.  Thiers  held  his 
own  in  the  most  spirited  manner  possible.  M.  Jules 
Favre  was  pathetic,  gesticulating  in  the  most  tragic  way ; 
but  nevertheless  no  progress  was  made  with  our  business. 
All  at  once  I  began  to  talk  German.  M.  Thiers  looked 
at  me  in  amazement. 

"  'You  know  we  do  not  understand  German,'  he  said. 

"'Certainly,'  I  replied  in  French.  'When  I  am  dis- 
cussing matters  with  people  with  whom  I  believe  I 
can  finally  come  to  an  understanding,  I  speak  their 
language,  but  when  I  see  that  it  is  useless  to  argue  with 
them  I  talk  my  own  language.  You  had  better  send  for 
an  interpreter.' 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  conclude  matters. 
For  the  last  week  I  had  been  in  boiling  oil.  Every  night 
I  expected  to  be  roused  by  a  despatch  containing  some 
request    from    England,    Russia,    Austria    or   Italy,    in 


146  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

favour  of  France.  I  know,  of  course,  that  I  should 
have  ignored  it,  but  it  would,  all  the  same,  have 
been  an  indirect  intervention  in  the  quarrel  between 
France  and  Germany.  I  wanted  to  avoid  this  at  all 
costs;  that  is  why,  in  spite  of  my  admiration  for  the 
patriotic  persistence  of  M.  Thiers,  I  had  been  so  brusk 
in  replying  in  German.  The  effect  of  these  tactics  was 
very  odd.  M.  Jules  Favre  threw  up  his  long  arms  as 
though  appealing  to  Heaven,  and  then,  with  his  hair 
standing  on  end  and  his  face  hidden  in  his  hands,  he 
rushed  like  a  huge  bat  to  a  comer  of  the  room,  turning 
his  face  to  the  wall  as  though  he  did  not  wish  to  see  the 
humiliation  inflicted  upon  the  representatives  of  France. 
M.  Thiers  looked  over  his  spectacles  with  a  scandalised 
expression  and  then  trotted  off  quickly,  in  a  petulant 
way,  to  a  table  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  and  I  heard 
his  pen  scratching  away  nervously  on  the  paper.  After 
some  time  he  walked  toward  me.  His  small  eyes  were 
flashing  behind  his  spectacles,  his  mouth  was  contracted 
with  anger,  and  in  an  abrupt  manner  he  held  out  the 
paper  to  me,  saying  dryly  and  in  a  somewhat  hard  voice : 

"  '  Is  that  what  you  want  ?' 

"  I  looked  at  what  he  had  written.  It  was  admirably 
drawn  up,  and  it  was  very  nearly  what  I  had  stipulated. 
I  then  spoke  French  again,  and  the  negotiations  were 
concluded  in  that  language.  Thiers,  you  know,  always 
seemed  to  me  like  a  big  child,  but  when  he  was  driven 
to  extremities  one  could  preceive  how  co\irageous  and 
intelligent  he  was.     He  was  the  very  deuce  ! " 

All  this  was  told  by  Bismarck  in  the  simplest  and  most 
natural  way,  without  any  posing  or  seeking  for  effect. 
He  spoke  just  as  he  thought,  with  a  certain  familiarity 


WHAT  BISMARCK  TOLD   ME  147 

and  perhaps  even  a  certain  triviality  of  language. 
He  was  smoking  an  enormous  pipe  and  sending 
out  thick  puffs,  and  between  two  stories  he  would 
gaze  out  silently  beyond  the  gardens  of  Wilhelm- 
strasse  at  the  setting  sun.  The  Congress  and  its 
work  was  what  interested  and  preoccupied  him  the 
most.  He  referred  to  it  continually  and  brought  every 
other  subject  to  bear  on  it.  It  seemed  as  though  he  had 
endless  things  to  say  about  it. 

"At  the  Congress,"  he  told  me,  "there  is  simply 
nothing  left  to  desire.  M.  Waddington,  who  represents 
France,  is  absolutely  devoted  to  his  country.  He  is  a 
modest,  straightforward  man,  who  likes  work  and  wishes 
to  understand  things  thoroughly.  I  have  never  seen 
a  more  laborious  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Every  one 
likes  him,  and  he  must  have  rendered  great  services  to 
his  Government. 

"Now  one  may  not  be  a  Republican,  but  one  must 
admit  that  there  is  nothing  possible  for  France  at  the 
present  day  but  a  republic.  If  the  various  Pretenders 
could  come  to  some  agreement  I  should  not  perhaps 
speak  in  the  same  way.  But  if  one  of  them  should  get 
into  power,  he  would  have  all  the  rest  of  France  against 
him;  that  would  mean  civil  war  immediately,  and  civil 
war  in  France  is  like  having  the  plague  at  one's  door. 

"  I  admire  Shuvaloff  at  the  Congress.  He  has  to  hold 
his  own  against  every  one.  They  are  all  after  him;  he 
is  like  a  stag  under  pursuit  that  shows  its  horns  when 
too  hard  pressed.  Neither  Gortchakoff  nor  Von  Oubril 
are  of  any  great  assistance  to  him ;  yet  he  is  most  polite, 
ever  a  gentleman,  never  making  any  mistakes,  and 
always    commencing    with    a    polite    formula,    such   as 


148  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

*  Prince,  may  I  be  allowed  to  say  a  word  in  reply,  etc' 
He  is  certainly  a  typical  diplomatist,  Shuvaloff  and 
Beaconsfield  are  the  two  principal  figures  of  this  Congress, 
and  I  am  perfectly  charmed  to  have  the  opportimity 
of  observing  them. 

"  Beaconsfield  has  the  most  extraordinary  presence  of 
mind.  He  is  accommodating  and  energetic,  and  never 
allows  himself  to  be  disturbed  by  anything.  He  defends 
his  cause  admirably,  and  last  Friday,  when  the  nego- 
tiations were  broken  off,  he  was  ready  to  lead  his  country 
courageously  to  war.  It  was  then  that  I  intervened. 
He  and  Shuvaloff  have  both  done  their  duty,  and  they 
have  both  saved  their  country  from  war.  Personally, 
my  only  merit  is  that  of  having  brought  them  together 
at  a  moment  when  it  was  no  longer  possible  for  them  to 
approach  each  other  again. 

"Two  years  ago,  when  I  saw  Beaconsfield  for  the  first 
time,  I  said  to  him:  'Why  are  you  opposed  to  Russia? 
You  might  come  to  an  imderstanding  with  her.  It 
would  be  to  the  interest  of  both  countries.  Why  do  you 
not  take  Egypt  ?  France  would  not  bear  you  any  ill-will 
on  that  account  for  very  long.  Besides,  you  could  give 
her  a  compensation — Tunis  or  Syria,  for  instance — and 
then  Europe  would  at  last  be  free  from  this  question  of 
Turkey,  which  is  constantly  bringing  her  within  an  ace 
of  a  fresh  war.'  Beaconsfield  did  not  reply,  but  I  saw 
that  my  words  had  not  fallen  on  a  deaf  ear." 

The  Prince  stopped  and  there  was  a  long  silence.  It 
was  getting  late,  and  a  neighbouring  clock  struck  eleven 
slowly  and  deliberately.  Prince  von  Hohenlohe  rose, 
as  a  signal  for  our  departure,  and  I  did  likewise.  Prince 
Bismarck  laid  his  pipe  down  on  a  small  table  specially 


M.  DE  BLOWITZ  AS  OFTEN    SEEN    IN   THE   STREETS   OF    PARIS.  WITH    HIS 

NIECE 

[From  a  photouraph  ii-.ii,le  during  the  last  year  of  his  life] 


WHAT  BISMARCK  TOLD  ME  149 

designed  for  that  purpose  and,  turning  to  me,  held  out 
his  large  hand. 

"Adieu  !"  he  said,  in  a  rough  and  at  the  same  time 
melancholy  way.  "You  generally  reside  in  Paris,  so  I 
do  not  think  we  shall  see  each  other  again  for  some  time. 
But  I  am  very  glad  to  have  made  your  acquaintance,  and 
I  think  you  will  be  on  my  side  as  long  as  you  are  convinced 
that  I  wish  for  peace." 

Just  as  I  was  going  out  of  the  room  the  Chancellor  asked 
me  if  I  would  not  have  another  cigar.  I  accepted  the 
cigar,  and  was  once  more  moving  toward  the  door,  when 
he  stopped  me  and  insisted  on  lighting  it  for  me  himself ; 
and  he  held  the  match  for  about  a  minute.  My  cigar  was 
lighted  at  last,  and  I  went  away.  The  interview — an 
interview  which  had  lasted  five  hours — was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
Gambetta  and  Bismarck. 

During  the  historical  conversation  the  principal  points 
of  which  I  have  faithfully  retraced  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  Bismarck  touched  upon  many  subjects,  just  as 
they  occurred  to  him.  He  spoke  of  diplomacy  and  of 
war,  of  the  Congress  and  of  Europe,  of  French  states- 
men and  even  of  French  literature,  and  one  name  was  fre- 
quently mentioned  by  the  Chancellor — ^that  of  Gambetta. 

The  celebrated  tribune  was  then  at  the  very  height  of 
his  glory.  His  big  voice  frequently  crossed  the  frontiers, 
and  its  echo  could  be  heard  in  foreign  countries.  He 
possessed  that  formidable  and  much-envied  power  of 
appearing  to  incarnate  in  himself  a  whole  country,  a 
whole  democracy.  In  the  French  Republic  he  played 
the  part  of  Dictator. 

"Gambetta,"  said  Prince  Bismarck  to  me  after  a 
pause,  "is  a  man  I  should  like  to  see  before  I  die.  In 
spite  of  all  that  one  hears  to  the  contrary,  he  is  a  really 
remarkable  character.  He  soars  above  his  compatriots. 
I'm  told  that  he  is  fascinating,  and  yet  fascinating  men 
are  never  supposed  to  be  good  statesmen." 

"M.  Thiers  told  me  once,"  I  remarked,  laughing,  "that 
Your  Highness  was  fascinating, .  and  yet  you  have  the 
reputation  of  being  a  great  statesman  ! " 

"I  have  not  that  reputation — in  Germany,"  replied 
the  Chancellor,  and  then,  going  back  to  his  first  idea, 
he  said: 

150 


GAMBETTA  AND   BISMARCK  151 

"Yes,  I  certainly  should  not  like  to  die  until  I  have  seen 
Gambetta." 

His  insistence  on  this  point  struck  me.  Prince  von 
Hohenlohe,  who  was  then  Ambassador  at  Paris,  and  Baron 
von  Holstein,  attache  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs 
at  Berlin  and  the  Chancellor's  confidant,  accompanied  me 
on  my  way  back  to  the  Kaiserhof .  As  we  passed  in  front 
of  the  gardens  of  the  Radziwill  Palace,  I  said  to  them : 

"I  cannot  think  it  was  only  by  chance  that  Prince 
Bismarck  twice  mentioned  his  wish  to  see  Gambetta.  He 
knows  that  I  am  acquainted  with  him  and  that  I  may 
see  him  on  my  return  to  Paris.  He  did  not  tell  me  not 
to  repeat  what  he  said,  and  he  praised  Gambetta  in  such 
a  way  that  it  appeared  as  if  he  were  entrusting  me  with 
a  graceful  message.  I  do  not  know  the  Prince  as  well  as 
you  do,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  we  ought  to  arrange  an 
interview.  I  might  pave  the  way,  and  you.  Prince,  might 
take  part  in  the  negotiations." 

Prince  von  Hohenlohe,  according  to  his  custom  when 
an  idea  interested  him,  looked  down  on  the  ground  and 
then,  after  a  moment's  silence,  smiled  at  me  approvingly. 

As  to  Baron  von  Holstein,  he  merely  remarked : 

"Let  me  have  forty-eight  hours  for  reflection,  and  then 
I  will  give  you  an  answer  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  matter." 

Whenever  he  had  any  important  decision  to  make, 
Baron  von  Holstein  always  asked  for  forty-eight  hours' 
reflection.  He  employed  them  in  discovering  the  opinion 
and  desires  of  his  master,  so  that  his  reply  was  in  reality 
Bismarck's.  Two  days  later,  as  if  by  accident,  he  passed 
by  the  Kaiserhof.  I  was  at  the  door  talking,  and  we 
strolled  along  together. 


152  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"Well,"  I  said,  laughing,  "are  you  in  a  position  to  answer 
me  yet?" 

"Yes,"  he  replied. 

He  admitted  that  the  Chancellor  had  persisted  in 
talking  about  Gambetta  in  order  to  see  whether  I  would 
undertake  to  open  negotiations  for  bringing  about  an 
interview  between  the  two  statesmen.  He  even  added 
that  the  interview  might  easily  take  place  at  Kissingen, 
where  the  Chancellor  was  prolonging  his  sojourn. 

"  You  will  understand, "  he  continued,  in  a  solemn  tone, 
"that  this  interview  is  a  serious  matter,  and  that  all  the 
possible  consequences  must  be  well  weighed  before  any 
arrangements  are  concluded.  The  Chancellor  has  the 
firm  conviction,  and  that  conviction  has  grown  stronger 
since  he  has  spoken  with  you,  that  M.  Gambetta  is 
destined  before  long  to  become  a  great  power  in  France, 
and  that  that  power  will  be  of  a  most  decisive  character. 
The  Chancellor  desires  peace,  and  he  would  like  to  meet 
the  man  on  whom  may  depend  in  the  near  future  the 
rupture  or  the  maintenance  of  peace.  He  hopes  by  this 
interview  to  acquire  some  knowledge  of  the  private  ideas 
of  M.  Gambetta,  no  matter  how  skilfully  the  latter  may 
endeavour  to  conceal  them.  That,  of  course,  is  neither 
your  business  nor  mine.  Everything  that  takes  place 
between  these  two  men  must  have  a  most  conciliatory 
character;  the  interview  must  not  appear  like  a  passage 
of  arms.  The  past  must  be  the  past.  These  men  have 
fought  against  each  other,  each  one  for  his  own  country. 
All  that  has  happened  belongs  now  to  the  past — the 
present  undertaking  is  in  view  of  the  future.  If  this 
interview  should  take  place,  everything  must  be  averted 
which  might  alter  the  character  of  it  or  interfere  with  the 


GAMBETTA  AND   BISMARCK  153 

object  in  view.  No  overture  must  be  made  which  might 
lead  to  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  one  of  these  personages 
or  to  a  rebuff  for  the  other.  There  must  be  no  question, 
as  you  will  readily  imderstand,  of  any  compromise,  of 
any  retrocession,  of  any  modification  of  existing  treaties. 
In  brief,  there  must  be  no  question  of  Alsace-Lorraine. 

"It  must  be  clearly  tmderstood  that  neither  Prince 
Bismarck,  nor  the  Emperor,  nor  any  other  person,  could 
allow  the  conversation  to  turn  upon  the  subject.  The 
German  nation  would  not  accept  any  discussion,  even  an 
academic  one,  of  accomplished  facts  which  caused 
German  blood  to  be  shed  and  which  strewed  France  with 
the  corpses  of  German  soldiers.  An  interview  between 
these  two  men,  animated  by  pacific  intentions  and 
impressed  by  the  duties  which  are  incumbent  on  them, 
may  bring  about  a  salutary  result,  if  they  do  not  seek  for 
the  personal  satisfaction  of  triumphing  over  each  other." 

The  conversation  continued  for  some  little  time  and 
then  we  separated. 

•  *••••  • 

On  my  return  to  Paris,  toward  the  month  of  August, 
1878,  I  wrote  to  M.  Gambetta,  asking  him  for  an  inter- 
view, and  this  interview,  the  only  one  he  ever  granted 
to  a  journalist,  took  place  forty-eight  hours  later.  M. 
Gambetta  received  me  in  the  editor's  office  of  his  news- 
paper, La  Republique  Frangaise,  a  large  room  which 
looked  onto  a  flight  of  stone  steps  opposite  the  en- 
trance to  the  Rue  de  la  Chaussee  d'Antin.  He  greeted 
me  very  cordially  and  was  extremely  agreeable,  for  he 
was  anxious  to  find  out  exactly  what  had  taken  place 
in  Berlin. 

I  proved  to  him  easily  enough  how  prejudicial  was  the 


154  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

policy  of  his  paper,  which,  for  causes  it  would  take  too 
long  to  enumerate  here,  had  shown  itself  violently  hostile 
to  the  French  Plenipotentiaries  who  were  representing 
their  country  at  a  great  international  congress — the  first 
held  since  the  terrible  Franco-Prussian  War.  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  see  him  come  round  to  my  opinion. 
When  I  had  finished  this  part  of  my  conversation,  I 
introduced  the  second  part — the  interview  with  the 
Chancellor. 

M.  Gambetta,  I  must  confess,  was  very  pleased.  He 
also  had  a  certain  fascination  about  him  which  one  would 
never  imagine  on  seeing  him  in  ordinary,  everyday  life, 
and  he  now  proved  to  be  quite  irresistible.  He  appeared 
to  be  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  an  interview,  and 
declared  that  the  results  he  anticipated  from  it  would 
be  beneficial  and  fruitful  to  all  parties. 

I  listened  to  him  with  infinite  pleasure.  His  words 
were  brimming  over  with  the  most  ardent  patriotism, 
which  inspired  me  with  a  veritable  admiration  for  him, 
and  he  did  not  conceal  the  satisfaction  he  felt  at  the 
idea  of  being  able  at  last  to  meet  the  man  on  whom 
depended,  perhaps,  the  future  peace  of  the  whole  of 
Europe.     Finally,  turning  to  me,  he  asked : 

"  But  how,  in  the  event  of  this  interview,  do  you  sup- 
pose I  should  be  able  to  approach  the  great  question 
which  preoccupies  us  and  about  which  we  are  at 
variance?" 

I  had  foreseen  this  dread  point,  and  I  answered : 

"This  first  interview,  I  think,  is  only  to  have  a  pre- 
liminary character.  As  far  as  I  understand,  there  must 
be  nothing  said  on  this  initial  occasion  about  the  lost 
provinces.     All  that  must  be  reserved  for  later  interviews. 


GAMBETTA  AND   BISMARCK  155 

in  order  that  a  denial  may  be  given  to  those  who  declare 
— Aivith  a  view  to  stirring  up  public  opinion — that  the 
question  of  Alsace-Lorraine  has  been  discussed. " 

"That,"  he  said  promptly,  "is  absolutely  impossible. 
I  cannot  approach  the  German  Chancellor  without  speak- 
ing to  him  of  Alsace-Lorraine.  If  I  were  to  be  silent  on 
that  subject  it  would  spoil  our  whole  conversation,  and 
he  would  feel,  too  plainly,  that  he  had  a  man  before  him 
who  did  not  say  what  he  thought  and  who  did  not  think 
what  he  said !" 

"  Well, "  I  replied,  "  instead  of  talking  to  him  of  Alsace- 
Lorraine,  you  might  speak  of  Alsace  and  of  Lorraine, 
and  in  that  way  lessen  the  problem  by  dividing  it." 

"Oh,"  said  M.  Gambetta,  "I  don't  fancy  that  would 
alter  much ! " 

He  thought  the  matter  over  for  a  minute  in  silence, 
and  then,  like  a  man  who  had  made  up  his  mind,  he  rose 
and  held  out  his  hand  to  me : 

"I  should  consider  it  my  duty  and  an  honour,"  he 
said,  somewhat  ceremoniously,  "to  be  able  to  ap- 
proach the  Chancellor  and  to  endeavour  with  him  to 
solve  the  problem  of  European  peace  and  happiness. 
But  in  order  to  attain  that  end,  when  we  approach 
each  other  we  must  have  in  view  the  tranquillity  of 
humanity,  and  not  personal  success;  that  is  why  I 
must  be  able  to  speak  to  him  not  of  Alsace  and  of 
Lorraine,  but  of  Alsace-Lorraine  !  " 

The  following  day  I  called  on  Prince  von  Hohenlohe, 
to  whom  I  repeated  the  conversation  and  resigned  my 
offices  as  negotiator. 

There  was  never  again  any  question  of  an  interview 
between  Prince  Bismarck  and  M,  Gambetta. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Alva 

General  de  Galliffet  once  announced  that  for  the 
last  forty  years  he  had  been  taking  daily  notes,  and  he 
thereupon  began  the  publication  in  two  Parisian  papers 
of  fragments  of  these  notes.  These  fragments,  by  an 
odd  coincidence,  contained,  every  now  and  then,  blimders 
in  dates  which  did  not  escape  the  attention  of  his  readers. 

I  desire  to  say  to  readers  of  these  memoirs  that  I  have 
never  in  my  life  taken  many  notes  as  to  the  events  in 
which  I  have  been  mixed  up,  and  that  consequently 
nothing  would  be  more  natural  than  that  I  should  from 
time  to  time  make  certain  errors  of  dates  like  General  de 
Galliffet.  But  I  attach  no  importance  to  a  possibility 
of  this  sort,  my  chief  concern  being  with  the  accuracy  of 
the  facts  which  I  relate. 

I  nevertheless  remember  as  if  it  were  yesterday  that 
on  September  5,  1878,  imder  the  arcades  of  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli,  I  met  my  dear  old  friend.  Hector  Pessard,  coming 
out  of  one  of  the  big  hotels  that  abound  in  that  street. 
M.  Hector  Pessard  was  then  the  manager  and  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  National.  When  he  took  the  paper  over,  it 
was  on  the  point  of  disappearing  altogether,  but  he 
rapidly  made  it  one  of  the  most  important  organs  of  the 
moment  in  Paris.  The  National  belonged  in  truth  to 
that  class  of  Parisian  newspapers  which  bud,  bloom  and 
die.     During  my  long  experience  as  a  journalist,  which 

156 


ALVA  157 

has  lasted  nearly  one-third  of  a  century,  I  have  seen 
bom,  grow  up  and  perish  so  many  newspapers  that  as  I 
look  back  upon  them  my  memory  resembles  those  old 
Norman  churches  surrounded  by  a  cemetery  into  which 
one  enters  without  knowing  exactly  whether  the  cere- 
mony one  goes  to  witness  is  to  be  a  baptism,  a  marriage 
or  a  funeral. 

"Ah  !  "  said  M.  Hector  Passard  to  me,  "  I  am  delighted 
to  meet  you,  for  my  intention  was  to  go  and  see  you. 
You  are  only  just  back  from  the  Berlin  Congress ;  you  are 
sailing  on  the  top  of  the  wave;  your  name  is  constantly 
under  the  public  eye;  it  is  well  known  that  the  Prime 
Minister,  M.  Dufaure,  has  had  a  long  conversation  with 
you  on  what  took  place  at  the  Berlin  Congress.  You 
are  what  is  called  'the  man  of  the  day,'  and  you  will  not 
be  surprised,  therefore,  if  I  ask  you  to  come  with  me 
and  call  on  Madame  Marsa  Chamil,  who  lives  in  this 
hotel.     I  have  promised  her  that  you  shall  go  to  see  her." 

"  But  in  the  first  place,"  I  replied,  "  I  am,  as  you  say, 
for  the  time  being,  very  much  occupied;  and  secondly, 
who  is  Madame  Marsa  Chamil,  whose  name  I  now  hear 
for  the  first  time  ?" 

" Mon  Dieu!"  exclaimed  Hector  Pessard,  "I  will  be 
frank.  I  don't  know  much  more  about  her  than  you. 
It  is  in  a  certain  measure  in  order  to  find  out  that  we 
all,  Henri  de  Pene  and  his  wife,  Francis  Magnard,  Henri 
Fouquier  and  the  others,  would  like  you  to  see  her,  for 
we  suppose  that  with  your  knowledge  of  all  that 
is  going  on  behind  the  scenes  in  European  society  you 
will  assist  us  in  deciphering  the  very  interesting  enigma 
which  she  appears  to  be.  We  generally  call  her  the 
Duchess,  and  she  accepts  the  name  with  a  smile,  because 


158  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

everything  belonging  to  her  in  this  hotel — the  table 
linen,  the  china,  the  glass  and  the  silver,  and  all  the  rare 
and  curious  bibelots — are  marked  with  a  ducal  crown, 
and  attest  great  wealth  and  elegance." 

"And  what  sort  of  a  woman  is  this  Duchess?  " 

"  She  is  under  forty,  charming,  a  tall,  graceful  brunette, 
although  perhaps  not  a  descendant  of  any  very  ancient 
family,  speaks  several  languages  correctly,  knows  the 
upper  circles  in  most  continental  countries,  spends  a 
great  deal  of  money,  has  a  very  smart  team  and  respectfxil, 
well-trained  servants;  entertains  freely  and  with  taste 
and  refinement,  pays  her  bills  regularly  and  promptly, 
has  the  most  fashionable  dressmakers,  goes  out  little, 
talks  of  men  and  things  with  much  knowledge  and  insight, 
but  rarely  of  herself,  and  never  speaks  ill  of  others. 
Finally,  she  has  with  her  a  yoimg  lady  named  Alva,  of 
whom  one  gets  only  rare  and  furtive  glimpses,  a  girl  of 
eighteen,  absolutely  well-bred,  whom  the  Duchess  calls 
'my  child,'  a  fact  which  authorises  one  to  suppose  that 
she  is  her  daughter." 

"Really,"  I  replied,  "you  arouse  my  curiosity  keenly, 
but  I  am  boimd  to  tell  you  that  I  am  curious  only  by 
profession,  caring  Httle  to  know  what  I  cannot  repeat 
publicly.  But  what  you  have  just  said  renders  it  impos- 
sible for  me  to  refuse  to  make  the  visit  you  propose,  so, 
if  you  will  allow  me,  as  soon  as  I  have  a  little  more 
liberty  I  will  send  you  word  and  we  will  go  together  to 
call  upon  the  Duchess." 

Were  I  to  relate  all  the  traps  which  hatred  or  jealousy 
or  mere  spite  have  laid  for  me,  for  more  than  thirty  years, 
all  the  coltimns  of  a  newspaper  would  not  suffice.  I  will 
mention,  therefore,  only  a  single  one  in  order  to  give 


ALVA  159 

readers  an  idea  of  the  methods  employed  to  catch 
me  off  my  guard  and  to  involve  me  in  irremedi- 
able complications. 

When  the  second  Dreyfus  trial  broke  out,  I  beheld  one 
day  entering  my  home  a  man  still  yotmg,  who  appeared 
to  be  quite  out  of  breath,  and  whose  expression  was 
that  of  a  person  in  trouble.  He  related  that  he  was  a 
married  man  and  a  father,  that  he  held  a  confidential 
position  at  the  War  Office,  that  he  had  just  met  with 
heavy  losses  at  the  gaming  table,  and  that,  in  exchange 
for  a  sum  that  would  help  him  to  save  his  reputation,  he 
would  supply  me  with  military  documents  of  the  highest 
importance.  I  discovered  later  on  that  this  man  had 
been  sent  to  me  by  powerful  enemies,  solely  in  order  to 
try  to  implicate  me  in  that  wretched  affair. 

I  say  this  in  order  to  explain  the  precautions  which  I 
took  in  the  matter  that  I  am  now  narrating,  and  why,  a 
few  days  after  my  meeting  with  M.  Hector  Pessard,  I 
called  on  the  manager  of  the  hotel  where  the  Duchess  was 
staying — a  man  who  was  under  some  obligations  to  me 
and  who  always  showed  much  deference  toward  me — 
with  a  view  of  obtaining  more  detailed  information  about 
the  Duchess  than  M.  Hector  Pessard  had  imparted  to  me. 

The  manager  of  the  hotel  placed  himself  immediately 
at   my   service. 

"The  Duchess,"  said  he,  "has  been  residing  here  for 
the  past  eleven  months.  There  is  evidently  a  little 
mystery  about  her,  but  I  should  not  be  telling  the  truth 
if  I  did  not  add  that,  apart  from  this  instinctive  and 
justifiable  feeling  that  one  has,  there  is  nothing  to  be  said 
against  her,  and  her  entire  bearing  and  attitude  give  rise 
to  no  criticism.     Five  or  six  days  before  her  arrival  one 


i6o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

of  the  leading  employees  of  a  well-known  bank  came  to 
choose  the  suite  of  rooms  she  now  occupies.  He  selected 
an  apartment  on  the  third  floor,  so  that  the  visitors  should 
not  be  troubled  by  the  noise  of  the  street.  Their  suite 
looks  out  on  the  Tuileries  gardens  and  is  composed  of  a 
drawing-room,  dining-room,  two  bedrooms  for  herself 
and  her  daughter,  a  'study,'  and  three  small  rooms  for 
her  butler  and  her  two  lady's  maids,  who  live  on  the  same 
floor.  On  the  first  of  the  month  the  butler,  who  appears 
to  be  a  highly  respectable  old  servant,  takes  a  cheque  to 
the  bank  I  have  mentioned,  and  with  the  utmost  regularity 
the  Duchess,  on  his  return,  settles  her  bills  here.  She 
has  never  kept  us  waiting  a  single  day.  Her  valet,  who 
acts  as  a  general  man-servant,  lives  at  the  stables  outside 
the  hotel.  The  Duchess  rarely  goes  out,  receives  only 
highly  honourable  visitors — more  men  than  women,  that 
is  true — but  men  who  for  the  most  part  are  well  known 
here  as  well  as  elsewhere.  She  shops  a  great  deal,  almost 
always  in  the  same  establishments.  Her  dressmakers 
are  well  known  and  she  habitually  pays  immediately  for 
all  that  is  brought  to  her;  and  she  is  regarded,  owing 
to  her  long  stay  here  and  the  regularity  of  her  orders 
and  payments,  as  a  valuable  patron.  She  has  more  than 
once  asked  for  her  bills  before  they  were  presented.  I 
calculate,  without  having  been  guilty  of  any  misplaced 
curiosity,  that  this  lady  must  have  more  than  200,000 
francs  a  year  to  spend,  and  all  I  hope  is  that  she  will 
remain  here  as  long  as  possible,  for,  I  repeat,  neither  the 
prosperity  nor  respectability  of  the  hotel  has  to  regret 
her  presence." 

The  next  day  I  wrote  to  M.  Pessard  to  tell  him  that 
I  was  at  his  disposal  for  any  date  he  would  like  to  fix, 


i 


ALVA  i6i 

and  on  September  14,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  I  went 
with  my  friend  to  call  on  Madame  Marsa  Chamil,  who 
had  invited  us  to  tea. 

The  portrait  of  the  Duchess  had  been  well  portrayed 
to  me  by  M.  Pessard.  As  I  entered  she  rose  from  the  arm- 
chair in  which  she  was  sitting,  and  greeted  me  very  ami- 
ably without  offering  me  her  hand,  afterward  begging 
me  to  take  a  chair.  She  began  in  the  most  natural  way 
in  the  world  to  talk  of  the  events  of  the  day,  of  the  crisis 
of  May  16,  1877,  the  solution  of  which  she  had  witnessed 
almost  immediately  on  her  arrival  in  Paris,  and  of  the 
fall  of  M.  Jules  Simon,  for  whom  she  had  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction which  she  had  refrained  from  presenting  on  learn- 
ing that  since  his  defeat  he  had  no  inclination  to  receive 
strangers.  She  then  talked  of  the  statesmen  whom  I 
had  seen  at  the  Berlin  Congress;  of  Count  Andrassy, 
who  was  so  characteristically  the  type  of  the  Magyar 
race,  nervous,  breezy  and  hale,  as  if  his  ruddiness  had 
been  caught  under  the  sun  of  his  native  forests ;  of  Count 
von  Hay  merle,  so  refined  and  elegant,  subtle  and  active, 
but  for  whom  people  predicted  a  brief  career  because  his 
incessant  activity  was  like  a  tongue  of  fire  that  devoured 
his  constitution;  of  Kara  Theodori,  the  melancholy 
representative  of  a  decadent  power,  who  had  haimted 
the  diplomatic  salons  of  Berlin  like  a  silent  and  furtive 
shade,  remaining  timidly  in  the  background,  for  he  was 
somewhat  bashful  and  the  interests  he  upheld  were  most 
confused  and  precarious.  She  then  spoke  to  me  of  Prince 
Bismarck,  whom  she  had  certainly  met,  for,  quite  natu- 
rally, in  repeating  a  conversation  which  she  had  had, 
she  imitated  in  a  respectful  but  amusing  way  his  habit  of 
stopping  suddenly  and  without  embarrassment   in  the 


1 62  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

midst  of  a  phrase  and  of  remaining  quite  silent  until  he 
had  found  the  exact  word  which  he  wanted.  She  spoke 
tome,  finally,  but  with  great  discretion,  without  flattery 
and  without  exaggeration,  of  the  role  that  I  had  played 
in  Berlin  and  of  certain  episodes  of  my  sojourn  there, 
which  would  almost  have  led  me  to  believe  that  she 
had  seen  me  in  Berlin,  if  I  had  not  been  aware  that  she 
had  not  absented  herself  from  Paris  for  a  whole  year. 

I  was,  during  this  visit,  struck  by  the  intellectual 
superiority  of  this  woman  who,  during  our  conversation, 
had  made  use  of  several  languages,  which  she  seemed  to 
know  perfectly  well  and  which  she  spoke  with  an  accent 
that  belonged  to  none  of  them,  without  my  being  able 
exactly  to  discover  to  what  nationality  it  was  due.  I 
saw  perfectly  well  that  this  first  visit  would  not  be  the 
last,  for  from  the  outset  I  felt  for  the  Duchess,  whom 
I  had  just  seen  for  the  first  time,  a  really  sympathetic 
curiosity ;  and  I  made  a  firm  resolve,  without  any  vulgar 
or  hidden  motive,  to  try  to  penetrate  into  her  intimacy 
and  to  get  at  the  meaning  of  the  very  real  mystery  which, 
so  to  speak,  floated  in  the  ambient  air  surrounding  her. 

There  had  been,  on  this  occasion,  besides  M.  Pessard 
and  myself,  three  or  four  persons  with  whom  she  knew 
that  I  was  acquainted,  and  to  whom,  therefore,  she  did 
not  feel  obliged  to  introduce  me ;  but,  among  two  or  three 
others,  she  introduced  to  me  a  young  man,  of  easy  and 
elegant  manners  and  of  real  distinction,  as  the  Prince 
Karageorgewitch,  and  as  the  question  of  the  future  Prince 
of  Bulgaria  was  then  being  discussed,  she  added  a  few 
words  which  appeared  to  indicate  that  this  young  man 
was  regarded  by  some  persons  as  among  the  candidates 
for  that  dignity.     In  brief,  I  took  leave  of  the  Duchess 


ALVA  163 

with  the  sensation  that  my  visit  had  been  one  of  the  most 
interesting  which  I  had  made  for  some  time  past.  From 
that  day,  I  went  to  see  her  almost  regularly  for  more  or 
less  long  calls  two  or  three  times  a  week.  I  was  more 
and  more  impressed  by  her  superior  intelligence,  her 
good  breeding,  and  by  the  accuracy  of  her  opinions  and 
reflections ;  and  while  noting  that,  in  spite  of  my  constant 
attention,  I  had  not  succeeded  in  piercing  the  somewhat 
impenetrable  veil  enveloping  her,  I  remained  convinced 
that  I  was  dealing  neither  with  an  adventuress  nor  with  a 
woman  capable  of  a  dishonest  act ;  and  my  sympathy  for 
her  grew  apace  without  my  ignorance  in  regard  to  her 
being  a  whit  diminished. 

One  evening,  in  December,  it  was  a  little  late  when  I 
made  my  call,  and  I  found  her  alone.     She  said  to  me  : 

"  Let  me  introduce  you  to  my  dear  child,  Alva,  whom 
you  do  not  yet  know,  and,  so  that  you  may  become  better 
acquainted  with  her,  you  will,  if  possible,  share  our 
dinner,  for  we  are  dining  alone  to-night." 

At  my  movement  of  assent  she  rang  and  told  Hugot, 
the  butler,  to  ask  mademoiselle  to  come  to  her  in  the 
drawing-room.  The  introduction  was  brief,  for  Alva 
seemed  to  have  been  apprised  fairly  accurately  as  to  the 
person  now  introduced  to  her,  and,  contrary  to  the  custom 
of  the  Duchess,  she  immediately  extended  her  hand  in  a 
cordial  and  almost  familiar  way.  Alva  was  a  great 
beauty,  elegantly  slender,  of  harmonious  proportions, 
with  hands  and  feet  of  perfect  distinction,  and  she  was 
dressed  with  refined  and  irreproachable  simplicity.  She 
had  a  delicate  little  head,  a  rather  brilliant  complexion, 
a  superb  forehead,  hair  of  the  purest  and  most  wavy  gold, 
and  eyes  of  that  greenish  blue  which  characterises  the 


i64  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

women  of  the  North,  and  which,  under  eyebrows  finely 
arched  and  beneath  long  brown  lashes,  seemed  read- 
ily to  change  their  colour  and,  according  to  the  impres- 
sions they  reflected,  became  more  azure-hued  and 
more  profound. 

Aiva  bade  me  welcome,  and  as  it  was  late  I  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  return  home  in  order  to  dress.  At  dinner, 
the  girl  expressed  herself  in  perfectly  pure  French  without 
the  slightest  accent.  She,  too,  knew  EngHsh,  German, 
Spanish  and  a  little  Russian.  She  had  the  experience 
of  her  age,  for  she  was  not  yet  eighteen,  but  she  showed 
an  exact  and  penetrating  intelligence  and  a  judgment 
both  firm  and  indulgent.  During  dinner  the  Duchess 
told  me  that  she  had  that  day  been  informed  that  the 
young  man  whom  I  had  seen  at  her  house,  and  whom  she 
had  called  Prince  Karageorgewitch,  was  accustomed  to 
call  himself  by  that  name,  but  he  in  no  way  belonged,  as 
he  claimed,  to  the  princely  family  of  Servian  pretenders. 
I  took  this  opportunity  to  tell  her  that  she  ought 
to  be  extremely  circumspect  as  to  the  choice  of 
her  habitual  guests,  and  that,  without  wishing  to 
mention  any  names,  there  were  among  them  certain 
persons  who  gave  rather  an  unfavourable  impression, 
and  this  influenced  people  in  their  judgment  in  regard 
to  her.  She  thanked  me  warmly,  and,  with  that 
energy  which  always  distinguished  her,  told  me,  on  my 
next  visit,  that  she  had  closed  her  door  to  some  of  her 
usual  visitors,  whose  names  she  mentioned.  This  proved 
to  me  that  she  had  very  accurately  judged  the  persons 
whom  she  was  bound  to  exclude  from  her  society. 

In  these  pages  I  intend  to  relate  an  event  which 
deserves  to  figure  in  my  personal  reminiscences,  but  I 


ALVA  165 

do  not  wish,  by  giving  details  not  directly  bearing  upon 
this  story,  to  lengthen  needlessly  the  tale  which  I  am 
now  narrating.  So  I  shall  not  speak  of  the  visits  which 
ensued,  nor  of  the  incidents  that  occurred  during  the 
three  or  four  months  following  upon  the  first  dinner  of 
the  Duchess  at  which  I  was  present.  What  I  can  say, 
and  what  I  feel  bound  to  say,  is  that  my  attachment  to 
these  two  women  increased  as  I  began  to  know  them 
better,  and  it  rapidly  developed  into  veritable  friendship. 
Both  of  them,  each  in  her  own  way,  were  calculated  to 
captivate:  the  one  by  the  remarkable  maturity  of  her 
superior  and  cultivated  intelligence,  her  upright  conduct, 
her  native  penetration  and  rare  knowledge  of  men  and 
things,  of  which  for  the  most  part  she  made  no  display, 
but  which  became  evident  whenever  she  took  pains  to 
analyse  her  thoughts;  the  other,  Alva,  by  her  youthful 
radiance,  her  eloquence  and  simplicity,  her  gentle  and 
fascinating  melancholy,  and  by  the  intellectual  precocity 
that  was  so  noticeable  whenever — which  was  rare — she 
chanced  to  take  part  in  the  conversation. 

About  the  end  of  April,  1879,  however,  it  seemed  to 
me  that  a  significant  change  was  taking  place  in  the 
existence  of  these  two  women.  The  mother  was  more 
nervous  and  irritable;  more  reserved  than  heretofore. 
The  quivering  of  her  nostrils  and  the  way  in  which  she 
knit  her  brows  betrayed  now  and  then  her  excitement; 
her  lips,  previously  so  apt  to  smile,  had  strange  twitchings ; 
and  she  gave  her  orders  more  sharply  and  imperiously 
than  was  her  wont.  The  girl,  on  such  occasions,  gave 
her  mother  an  anxious  and  melancholy  look,  and  more 
than  once  I  noticed  that  her  lashes  were  wet  with  a 
quickly    suppressed    tear.     The    change    disturbed    me, 


i66  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

but  such  was  the  attitude  of  these  two  women  that  I 
should  have  thought  it  indiscreet  to  display  the  slightest 
anxiety.  This  state  of  things  continued  and  even 
became  more  accentuated.  It  was,  to  be  sure,  purely 
a  moral  impression  I  had,  for,  apart  from  what  I  have 
noted,  there  had  been  no  alteration  in  the  style  in  which 
the  Duchess  lived.  She  received  at  the  same  hours 
exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  before;  she  went  out  as 
usual,  did  her  shopping  and  errands  as  before;  and  the 
hotel  servants,  when  she  came  down  into  the  court- 
yard to  enter  her  brougham  or  her  open  carriage,  bowed 
with  the  same  respect  as  they  had  always  shown,  as  she 
passed.  I  was  much  perplexed  by  all  this,  and  such 
was  now  my  friendship  for  these  two  ladies  that  I  could  not 
help  feeling  real  anxiety.  I  suffered  at  being  kept  in  the 
dark  with  regard  to  their  troubles.  This  situation, 
which  was  so  painful  to  me,  continued  imtil  nearly  the 
middle  of  June,  and  as  I  thought  that  my  visits  caused 
sometimes  a  painful  embarrassment  I  began  to  go  less 
frequently,  and,  in  spite  of  the  real  privation  that  I  felt, 
I  now  remained  at  times  almost  a  week  without  calling 
on  the  Duchess. 

Toward  the  middle  of  June,  during  one  of  the  rare 
visits  which  I  then  made  them,  I  tried,  by  cordial  phrases, 
to  attenuate  my  indiscretion  in  coming  to  see  them,  when 
the  Duchess  suddenly  seemed  to  want  to  enter  upon  a 
conversation  of  a  confidential  character.     She  exclaimed : 

"  I  must  tell  you " 

Just  then  her  eyes  fell  upon  Alva.  I  cannot  say  what 
she  read  upon  the  girl's  face,  but  she  stopped  short,  and, 
as  she  appeared  to  have  grown  somewhat  nervous,  I 
hastily  got  up  and  took  leave  of  her.     As  I  crossed  the 


ALVA  167 

hotel  court  the  manager  appeared  in  the  doorway  of  his 
office,  as  though  he  wanted  to  speak  to  me.  I  went  to 
meet  him  and  he  asked  me  into  his  room.  He  shut  the 
door  and  said: 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  sir,  for  what  I  am  going  to  tell 
you,  but  a  few  months  ago,  before  you  knew  the  Duchess, 
you  asked  for  accurate  information  in  regard  to  her, 
which  I  gave  you;  since  then  you  have  become,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Duchess  and  her  daughter,  the  real  friend  of 
the  house.  I  feel  bound  to  tell  you,  for  it  seems  to  me 
to  be  a  duty,  that  during  the  last  two  months  certain 
things  have  been  going  on  here  which  will  perhaps  seem 
to  you,  as  they  do  to  me,  disquieting.  Since  the  first  of 
May  this  lady  has  neither  asked  for  nor  settled  her  hotel 
bill,  which  amounts  to-day  to  about  eighteen  thousand 
francs.  She  has  made  many  purchases  and,  contrary  to 
her  custom,  has  not  paid  for  them  immediately,  but  has 
even  sent  back  some  of  the  bills,  asking  for  a  delay ;  and 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  the  Duchess,  during  the  two  and  a 
half  months  in  which  this  change  has  been  taking  place, 
must  have  become  indebted  to  the  extent  of  more  than 
fifty  thousand  francs,  for,  as  often  happens  in  cases  of  the 
kind,  she  has  bought  some  new  things  in  order  to  defer 
payment  of  those  for  which  she  already  owes.  I  must 
even  add  that  for  some  time  now  I  see,  hovering  about 
the  hotel,  personages  who  appear  to  be  spying  on  her ;  that 
I  have  received  the  visit  of  an  official  who  came  to  make 
a  detailed  inquiry  as  to  the  Duchess  and  her  daughter; 
and  that  this  lady's  servants  appear  worried.  It  seemed 
to  me  I  ought  to  inform  you  of  all  this  lest  you  should 
be  surprised  by  some  event  which  might  annoy  you," 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  I  was  impressed  and 


i68  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

disturbed  by  this  communication.  I  passed  a  bad  night, 
'  and  the  next  morning  wrote  to  the  Duchess  asking  her  to 
receive  me  at  three  o'clock. 

At  that  hour  I  arrived  at  her  house.  I  was  ushered 
in  and  found  her  alone.  With  a  great  deal  of  precaution 
and  considerable  apprehension  I  explained  to  her  that 
I  felt  it  my  duty  to  repeat  to  her  what  the  manager  of 
the  hotel  had  said  to  me.  She  listened  to  me  in  silence. 
Two  big  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks. 

"What  the  manager  of  the  hotel  has  told  you,"  she 
said,  after  a  pause,  "is  true.  For  three  months  now  I 
have  been  completely  without  funds.  I  thought,  and 
still  think,  that  I  shall  get  my  money  back.  I  did  not 
wish  to  change  my  way  of  living — in  the  first  place,  out 
of  pride,  which  you  will  understand;  secondly,  not  to 
alarm  Alva.  The  time  has  come,  though,  to  tell  you 
what  you  do  not  yet  know,  and  what  on  more  than  one 
occasion  I  have  intended  to  tell  you,  without,  however, 
daring  to  do  so.  Among  all  the  persons  I  have  known, 
you  are  the  one  who  has  shown  me  the  most  serious,  the 
most  sincere  and  the  most  disinterested  sympathy;  and 
you  are  the  one  in  whom  Alva  and  I  feel  the  most  confi- 
dence and  for  whom  we  cherish  the  greatest  friendship. 
I  am  going,  therefore,  to  tell  you  everything,  and  you  can 
then  judge  whether  you  should  respond  to  the  appeal 
which  I  am  going  to  make  to  you. 

"  Alva,  whom  I  call  my  child,  is  not  my  daughter.  She 
belongs  to  a  royal  house ;  she  is  the  daughter  of  a  princess, 
and  the  explanation  of  the  ducal  crown  visible  on  every- 
thing belonging  to  us  here  is  that  most  of  these  objects 
come  from  her  mother,  and  that  Alva,  in  reality,  if  not 
by  right,  can  claim  the  crown.     She  was  born  when  her 


I 


ALVA  169 

mother  was  only  eighteen  years  old.  Alva  is  remarkably 
like  her  mother,  who  was  very  beautiful.  Her  father 
was  a  captain  in  an  Austrian  regiment  garrisoned  in  the 
Germanic  confederation.  I  was  her  maid  of  honour. 
When  I  heard  of  the  affair,  her  suffering  attached  me  to 
her  more  than  ever,  and  after  having  been  her  confidante 
I  became  her  accomplice.  We  wept  long  over  the  situa- 
tion together.  Finally,  an  idea  came  to  me  which 
simplified  the  whole  situation,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  found 
a  way  of  saving  her,  I  will  even  say  of  saving  us,  for,  if 
the  truth  became  known,  I  was  in  as  much  danger  as  she 
was,  and  perhaps  even  more.  Without  telling  her  my 
plan,  I  went  to  one  of  the  Court  physicians  for  whom  I 
entertained  the  greatest  admiration.  Unhesitatingly, 
and  after  he  had  promised  to  keep  my  disclosure  a  secret, 
I  told  him  all  I  know. 

"Doctor  Alven — we  will  call  him  thus,  for  it  was 
under  that  name  that  he  took,  later  on,  all  the  necessary 
steps — Doctor  Alven  listened  in  silence,  and  when  I  had 
finished  said: 

"  'Tell  Madame  that  she  must  not  appear  to-night  at 
dinner;  that  she  must  go  to  bed  and  complain  of  violent 
headaches  and  of  great  difficulty  in  breathing.  Then, 
to-morrow  morning  early  let  her  send  for  me  to  visit 
her.  Do  not  worry.  I  hope  that  I  shall  find  a  way  to 
save  you  both.' 

"Doctor  Alven  ordered  her  to  take  a  potion.  The 
consequence  of  this  draught  was  that  the  face  of  the 
unfortunate  Princess  became  violently  red  and  a  heavy 
fever  ensued.  Our  rescuer  submitted  her  to  this  treat- 
ment for  two  weeks.  He  directed  me  to  stay  with  her, 
because   she  wanted  to  be  nursed  only  by  me.     Two 


I70  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

weeks  later,  the  Court  having  meanwhile  been  greatly 
alarmed,  and  with  the  exaggeration  habitual  in  such 
cases  having  announced  her  death  on  the  sixteenth  day, 
at  Doctor  Alven's  request  and  by  order  of  the  Sovereign 
there  was  a  consultation  of  physicians.  The  father  of 
the  Princess  was  present,  and  the  doctors  adopted  Doctor 
Alven's  suggestion,  declaring  that  the  only  way  of  saving 
her  was,  first,  to  send  her  away  to  the  south  of  France, 
and  then,  accompanied  by  a  young  doctor  recommended 
by  Alven,  to  have  her  travel  in  Algeria,  Cairo,  the  Canary 
and  the  Balearic  Islands. 

"  Doctor  Alven  declared  that  he  would  give  the  Princess 
certain  potions  which,  in  spite  of  her  weak  condition, 
would  enable  her  to  start,  adding,  in  order  that  the 
illness  should  not  give  rise  to  any  alarming  rumours,  that 
she  must  leave  without  any  sort  of  ostentation  and 
travel  incognito. 

"Doctor  Alven's  plans  were  adopted,  and  three  days 
later  in  the  evening  we  set  out,  under  the  most  favourable 
circumstances  possible,  accompanied  by  Hugot,  the 
butler,  who  is  still  with  me,  by  the  yoimg  doctor,  who  left 
us  a  little  later,  and  by  the  two  lady's  maids,  who  are  still 
in  our  service. 

"We  left  immediately  for  one  of  the  estates  belonging 
to  the  Princess  beyond  the  frontier,  a  domain  which  came 
to  her  direct  from  one  of  her  a\mts.  It  had  not  long  been 
at  her  disposal,  as  she  had  only  a  short  time  attained  her 
majority,  and  on  that  occasion  her  father  had  reduced  by 
half  the  personal  appanage  which  she  enjoyed. 

"  On  reaching  our  destination  the  Princess  sent  for  the 
official  who  governed  the  district  and  the  functionary 
who  dealt  with  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  attestation 


ALVA  171 

of  contracts.  In  their  presence  the  Princess  had  an  act 
drawn  up  in  which  she  authorised  her  steward,  assisted 
by  the  Governor  of  the  district,  to  make  a  transfer,  upon 
an  order  signed  by  her,  of  her  entire  property,  and  to 
convert  the  sum  thus  obtained  into  paper,  consols, 
Government  annuities,  municipal  bonds  and  railway 
shares,  according  to  Doctor  Alven's  indications.  All  this 
property  when  realised  was,  at  the  Princess's  orders, 
to  be  entrusted  by  the  Governor  of  the  district  and  the 
steward,  acting  conjointly,  to  the  person  indicated  by 
the  Princess  in  the  two  orders  which  she  proposed  to 
send  them. 

"I  will  not  needlessly  lengthen  this  story.  We  made 
all  the  peregrinations  that  had  been  planned  for  us,  imtil 
finally  the  Princess  was  conducted  into  a  Himgarian 
convent,  the  Superioress  of  which  was  a  sister  of  Doctor 
Alven.  The  Princess  and  I  were  installed  with  our 
servants  and  the  Doctor  in  a  cottage  at  a  remote  comer 
of  the  convent  park,  where  there  was  a  private  entrance, 
and  where  we  lived  well  removed  from  curious  eyes,  even 
from  those  of  the  nuns.  As  the  convent  was  the  seat  of 
the  head  of  the  order,  and  sent  out  nuns  on  missions  in 
all  directions,  whenever  one  of  them  left  she  was  ordered, 
on  reaching  her  destination,  to  post  letters  to  the  Court, 
so  that  it  should  appear  as  though  we  were  still  travelling. 

"  When  the  young  Doctor  left  us  to  return  to  the  Court, 
he  announced  that  the  Princess,  now  completely  recovered, 
was  coming  home.  The  child,  a  girl,  was  inscribed  on  the 
convent  registers  simply  under  the  name  of  Alva,  the 
Princess  herself  having  chosen  the  name  out  of  grati- 
tude to  Doctor  Alven.  The  Superior  found  a  nurse  for 
her,  and  a  few  months  later  nurse  and  child  were  intro- 


172  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

duced  into  the  convent,  the  latter  passing  for  a  daughter 
of  a  niece  of  the  Superior. 

"My  dear  and  unfortunate  mistress  wept  bitterly 
when  she  was  told  that  she  must  live  separated  from  her 
child.  I  did  my  best  to  console  her,  promising  that  she 
should  see  her  shortly  and  that,  with  Alven's  aid,  we 
would  return  before  long  to  the  convent. 

"Two  months  later,  early  in  1862,  we  returned  to  the 
Court.  No  one  there  had  the  slightest  suspicion  of  what 
had  occurred.  The  young  Doctor  had  said  nothing  on 
account  of  his  professional  duty.  The  devotion  of  the 
three  servants  amounted  to  heroism,  and  Doctor  Alven 
avoided  any  step  that  could  have  given  rise  to  a 
suspicion  of  there  being  anything  special  between  him 
and  us. 

"Eleven  years  elapsed.  The  Princess  had  found  it 
impossible  to  undertake  the  journey  she  longed  to  make. 
Alva  had  been  separated  from  her  nurse,  and  she  con- 
tinued to  be  educated  at  the  convent  in  the  most  perfect 
manner  possible.  She  was  loved  there,  all  the  nuns 
doing  their  best  to  contribute  to  her  intellectual  and 
physical  development. 

"  Great  political  changes  had  taken  place  meanwhile. 
Austria  had  come  forth  from  the  Germanic  confedera- 
tion. The  war  of  1870-71  had  altogether  modified  the 
confederated  sovereignties  of  Germany.  The  Princess, 
who  possessed  a  fairly  important  appanage,  and  also,  as  I 
have  said,  estates  abroad  which  she  had  inherited  from 
one  of  her  aimts,  was  more  eager  than  ever  to  realise  her 
property,  which,  transformed  into  paper,  would  have  a 
value  of  more  than  five  millions  of  francs.  She  was  bent 
on  leaving  her  coimtry  and  taking  refuge  with  Alva  in  a 


ALVA  173 

foreign  land,  whence  it  would  be  impossible  to  compel 
her  to  return. 

"Alas !  just  then  a  terrible  misfortune  befell  us.  Our 
presence  in  the  convent,  which  we  had  fancied  abso- 
lutely imknown  to  any  one,  had  been  witnessed  by  the 
gardener — the  park-keeper,  who  never  penetrated  into 
the  convent,  but  who  lived  in  a  small  house  at  the  farther 
extremity  of  the  grounds,  a  house  which,  like  our  own, 
possessed  an  independent  entrance.  His  attention  had 
been  drawn  to  what  went  on  in  our  cottage.  He 
had  played  the  spy  and  discovered  everything  save  our 
identity. 

"  Unfortunately,  one  of  the  nims  who  had  been  sent 
out  of  the  convent  on  a  mission  and  had  imperfectly 
understood  her  instructions  in  regard  to  posting  one  of  the 
Princess's  letters,  entrusted  it  to  the  gardener  whom  she 
met  as  she  was  leaving.  He,  suspecting  that  there  was 
some  relation  between  this  letter  and  the  mystery  of  the 
cottage,  did  not  hesitate  an  instant  to  read  it.  The 
address,  the  signature  and  the  contents  of  it  gave  him 
the  key  to  the  whole  mystery.  This  man,  I  cannot  say 
why,  had  just  been  brutally  deprived  of  his  place,  and 
without  the  slightest  hesitation  he  resolved  to  take  his 
revenge  in  revealing  to  the  Princess's  father  the  mystery 
that  he  had  discovered. 

"The  latter' s  indignation  was  terrible.  He  had  an 
attack  and  his  life  was  in  danger.  At  11  p.  m.  Doctor 
Alven  was  sent  for,  and  he  took  all  the  necessary  measures 
to  prevent  the  father  in  his  wrath  from  revealing  the 
secret,  for  the  Doctor  had  just  become  aware  of  the 
frightful  danger  with  which  we  were  menaced. 

"  Without  a  minute's  delay  he  went  to  see  the  Princess, 


174  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

awoke  Hugot,  and  ordered  the  maids  to  awaken  the 
Princess  and  myself. 

"We  immediately  prepared  to  receive  the  Doctor. 
He  communicated  to  us  the  terrible  news.  He  informed 
us  that  it  was  particularly  against  me  that  the 
Sovereign's  exasperation  was  directed,  and  said  that, 
accompanied  by  Hugot  and  by  ^the  two  maids,  for 
whom  he  dreaded  a  terrible  punishment,  I  must  flee 
without  losing  a  moment.  On  leaving,  he  informed  us 
that  an  hour  later  his  landau,  with  two  of  his  best  horses, 
would  await  us  at  a  side  door,  and  that  we  should  be  driven 
across  the  frontier,  which  was  only  nine  miles  away. 

"Hugot  and  the  two  maids,  who  were  cool  and  collected 
through  all  this,  had  quickly  prepared,  in  several  bags, 
everything  of  which  I  stood  in  immediate  need,  and  I, 
on  my  part,  collected  all  my  jewels  and  all  the  silver 
that  the  Princess  and  I  possessed, 

"It  was  4  A.  M.  when  we  started,  and  it  was  hardly 
five  o'clock  when  we  had  crossed  the  frontier.  As 
the  first  anticipated  action  taken  against  the  Princess 
would  be  the  kidnapping  of  Alva  without  a  minute's 
delay,  armed  with  a  letter  from  Alven  I  set  out  for 
the  convent,  where  I  immediately  saw  the  Superioress. 
Two  hours  later  Alva — to  whom  some  years  before  I  had 
paid  a  visit  of  several  days  on  the  pretext  of  visiting, 
during  a  holiday,  an  estate  of  mine  on  the  Danube — was 
entrusted  to  my  care. 

"Alva,  who,  save  the  nims,  had  never  seen  any  one 
but  myself,  and  who  knew  all  the  tenderness  I  felt  for 
her — Alva  vaguely,  so  to  speak,  believed  that  I  was  her 
mother.  She  fltmg  herself  effusively  into  my  arms  and 
was  glad  to  go  with  me. 


ALVA  175 

"We  settled  down,  with  Hugot  and  the  two  maids, 
on  my  estate.  It  was  in  an  independent  country  and 
I  knew  we  were  quite  safe.  I  devoted  myself  to  Alva's 
education,  having  at  my  disposal  more  than  adequate 
resources  sent  to  me  by  the  steward  from  the  abundant 
revenues  of  the  Princess's  lands ;  and  we  lived  there  for 
some  years,  pending  the  events  which  were  to  bring  to  us 
the  solution  of  the  painful  situation  in  which  we  found 
ourselves." 

"Meanwhile  terrible  scenes  were  being  enacted  at  the 
Court.  The  reigning  Prince,  on  being  apprised  of  what 
he  called  the  disgrace  of  his  house,  was  in  such  a  paroxysm 
of  wrath  that  he  himself,  so  deprived  was  he  of  all  com- 
mon sense,  did  not  dare  to  face  his  daughter,  the  Princess. 

"The  miserable  informer,  the  gardener,  immediately 
after  having  told  his  tale  in  the  presence  of  the  Prince, 
had  been  imprisoned.  He  was  now  sent  for  and  obliged 
to  sign  a  declaration  which  might  involve  a  death  sentence 
for  him.  An  important  sum  of  money  was  given  to  him, 
he  was  taken  to  Bremen  under  good  escort,  and  sent  off 
to  one  of  the  American  States,  with  orders  never,  under 
pain  of  death,  either  to  reveal  a  word  of  what  he  knew  or  to 
return  to  Europe.  Moreover,  several  months  ago,  Alven 
informed  me  that  news  had  been  received  of  his  death. 

"Immediately  after  his  departure,  the  Prince,  who 
had  been  informed  of  the  exact  whereabouts  of  Alva, 
had  sent  three  men,  on  whose  loyalty  and  decision  he 
could  rely,  to  kidnap  her.  As  you  know,  they  arrived 
too  late.  But  the  unfortunate  Princess  was  the  object 
of  the  most  monstrous  persecution.  All  her  attendants 
had  been  changed.  Her  two  maids  were  two  jailers, 
who  never  allowed  her  out  of  their  sight,  and  who  passed 


176  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

their  time  in  torturing  her.  Her  health  suffered  greatly. 
Partial  paralysis  set  in.  At  her  request  Alven  was  sent 
for.  The  Doctor  asked  to  be  left  alone  with  her,  and  his 
request  was  granted.  He  did  not  conceal  from  her  that 
she  was  nearing  her  end.  She  displayed  real  heroism. 
Her  only  sorrow  was  at  not  seeing  her  child.  She  made 
all  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  entrusted  to  the 
Doctor  a  copy  of  the  document  which  she  had  had  drawn 
up  for  the  sale  of  her  property,  and  the  order  to  convert 
it  into  securities  which,  in  case  of  her  death,  were  to  be 
given  to  me.  At  a  second  visit  of  the  Doctor,  who  de- 
clared to  her  that  she  could  never  undertake  another 
journey,  she  wrote  to  me  with  his  aid  that,  when  her 
landed  property  had  been  converted  and  the  securities 
entrusted  to  me,  she  begged  me  to  go  with  Alva  to  London, 
taking  the  securities  with  me,  to  deposit  them  in  one  of 
the  large  English  banks  which  she  named,  and  to  use  the 
revenue  for  the  common  benefit  of  Alva  and  myself 
until  God  should  allow  her  to  join  us. 

"The  question  of  the  sale  and  transfer  of  her  property 
took  some  time,  for  there  was  great  need  of  discretion,  and 
it  was  only  toward  the  middle  of  1875  that  the  steward 
and  the  Governor  of  the  district  brought  me  the  product 
of  the  sale  in  two  immense  boxes,  accompanied  with  a 
duplicate  of  the  contents. 

"The  total  amounted  to  a  little  more  than  ;^2oo,ooo, 
which  gave  an  annual  income  of  ;^9,ooo,  or  about  ;^75o 
a  month. 

"We  left  my  estate  several  days  later,  and  I  went 
quietly  away  with  my  dear  Alva  to  London  imder  an 
assumed  name.  I  deposited  the  securities  in  my  name 
in  the  bank  indicated,  and  whilst  awaiting  the  time  when 


ALVA  177 

the  Princess  could  travel  and  join  us,  we  devoted  our  days, 
and  a  certain  portion  of  our  revenues,  to  completing 
and  perfecting  the  education  of  Alva,  to  whom  thus  far 
I  had  avoided  revealing  her  origin. 

"Alas  !  Alva  could  not  long  endure  the  English  climate, 
and  just  when,  with  her  consent,  I  was  planning  to  go  to 
spend  the  winter  in  Cairo  or  Algiers,  there  reached  us  the 
painful  news  of  the  death  of  my  dear  and  beloved  Princess. 

"My  grief  was  such  that  I  could  not  help  sharing  it 
with  Alva,  and  revealed  to  the  girl  her  origin  as  well  as 
her  mother's  death.  Alva  was  in  profound  despair,  and 
as  I  perceived  that  her  health  was  suffering  thereby,  I 
resolutely  left  London,  and  we  visited  in  succession 
Cairo,  the  Canary  Islands,  Palermo  and  Algeria. 

'  'Alva  had  quite  recovered  her  health  and  the  splendour 
of  her  youthful  beauty,  and,  as  we  both  needed  rest  and  a 
fixed  abode,  at  her  wish  we  went  on  to  Paris,  where  we 
have  now  been  residing  for  twenty  months. 

"I  am  doing  my  best  to  make  the  narrative  short,  but 
I  am  bound  to  explain  everything,  since  I  must  finally 
appeal  to  your  friendship,  which,  although  not  of  very  long 
standing,  is,  nevertheless,  one  in  which  I  have  the  most 
complete  confidence. 

"I  have  now  reached  the  epoch  of  our  sojourn  in  Paris. 
I  knew  we  had  been  hunted  for,  but  as  we  often  changed 
our  name  and  residence,  and  as  we  were  quite  independ- 
ent, we  never  made  any  debts,  and,  in  a  word,  did 
nothing  that  could  attract  special  attention,  it  was  really 
almost  impossible  to  discover  us.  Moreover,  ever  since 
the  death  of  the  Princess,  I  had  been  aware  that  sooner 
or  later  there  would  be  attacks  against  me,  for  I  knew 
the  harshness  and  avarice  of  those  who  had  survived  my 


178  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

iinhappy  friend.  For  some  time  past  I  had  been  worried 
by  the  complexity  of  the  requirements  necessary  for 
receiving  my  income,  all  the  securities  being  in  England. 
I  mentioned  these  annoyances  to  one  of  the  employees 
of  the  bank  who  was  acting  as  my  agent,  and  who,  I 
may  say  in  parenthesis,  is  at  the  present  time  behaving 
himself  abominably  toward  me. 

"  'Madame,'  replied  this  employee,  'nothing  could  be 
easier  to  remedy.  We  receive  every  day  quantities  of 
securities  from  London  under  policies  of  insurance. 
You  have  only  to  direct  your  London  banker  to  give  to 
one  of  our  London  agents,  in  exchange  for  our  receipt, 
the  papers  deposited  with  him,  and  we  will  receive  them, 
merely  charging  you  for  the  insurance  policy  and  the 
carriage.  We  will  place  at  your  disposal  one  of  our  safes, 
with  a  receipt  to  that  effect.' 

"Unfortunately  I  accepted  this  proposition,  and  this 
is  what  has  been  done.  Hugot  on  the  first  of  every 
month  used  to  go  with  my  receipt  to  the  bank,  where 
the  cashier,  who  was  thoroughly  trustworthy,  regularly 
detached  the  coupons  from  my  securities  in  honouring 
my  monthly  receipt. 

"A  few  months  ago,  one  of  the  detectives  sent  to  dis- 
cover our  whereabouts  found  out  our  address.  He  had 
met  Hugot,  whom  he  recognised,  in  the  street,  and 
followed  him  to  our  hotel,  where,  quite  quietly,  he  took 
rooms  in  order  to  watch  us.  He  kept  his  eye  especially 
on  Hugot,  and  finally  discovered  the  bank  where  our 
money  was  deposited.  And  thus  it  came  to  pass  when, 
about  three  months  ago,  Hugot  went  to  the  bank  with 
my  receipt,  the  cashier  informed  him  that  he  could 
not    honour    it,    regular    opposition  having  been  noti- 


ALVA  179 

fied  on  behalf  of  a  foreign  Court  by  one  of  the  great 
Embassies, 

"Hugot  returned  in  utter  consternation.  You  can 
imagine  the  effect  of  this  news  upon  me.  I  rushed  off  to 
the  bank.  I  asked  if  I  could  not  be  given  a  sum  quite  out- 
side and  apart  from  my  revenue,  but  this  was  refused. 
Such  was  the  nature  of  the  opposition  that  it  had  aroused 
suspicions  against  me  at  the  bank,  I  returned  home  in 
despair.  The  manager  of  the  hotel,  to  whom,  without 
giving  any  details,  I  communicated  the  fact  of  my  momen- 
tary embarrassment,  behaved  admirably,  and  requested 
me  to  make  no  change  in  my  manner  of  living. 

"I  immediately  wrote  to  Alven,  with  whom  I  can 
correspond  without  any  danger,  but  he  was  away  from 
home,  and  I  had  to  wait  for  a  reply  until  his  return. 

"When  he  got  back  he  sent  me  a  legal  adviser  whom  I 
could  trust.  We  went  together  to  consult  one  of  the 
most  eminent  members  of  the  French  bar.  He  asked 
me  to  show  him  the  titles  guaranteeing  my  right  to  the 
property.  I  possessed  nothing  but  the  London  banker's 
receipt  and  that  of  the  Paris  banker.  He  declared  that 
these  two  receipts  appeared  to  him  insufficient  to  secure 
the  cancelling  of  the  opposition,  but  that  in  any  case 
I  could  bring  legal  action.  The  result,  however,  in  the 
dearth  of  further  documents,  appeared  to  him  doubtful. 
I  refused  to  bring  an  action,  dreading  sensation  and 
scandal,  newspaper  articles  and  reporters,  and  the  whole 
horror  of  a  situation  which  was  sure  to  end  disastrously. 

"The  lawyer  then  went  back  to  Alven,  who  began  to 
consider  what  should  be  done.  Such  is  my  present  situa- 
tion, and  it  is  your  own  communication  to  me  which  has 
led  me  to  reveal  to  you  these  facts.     I  have  long  wanted 


i8o  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

to  mention  them  to  you,  but  now  that  you  have  heard 
my  story  you  can  understand  why  I  have  hesitated, 
fearing  to  place  myself  in  a  painful  light  if  I  had  done  so 
earlier.  If  I  do  so  now,  it  is  because  you  yourself  have 
afforded  me  the  occasion  by  taking,  so  to  speak,  the  first 
step.  And  now,  if  you  will  come  to  see  me  to-morrow» 
and  if  you  are  disposed  to  champion  my  cause,  as  I 
think  you  are,  I  will  tell  you  the  service  which  I  have 
to  ask  of  you." 

When  I  returned  on  the  morrow  she  had,  indeed, 
reflected. 

"I  know,"  she  said,  "that  Monsieur  Waddington,  the 
Prime  Minister,  is  a  great  friend  of  yours,  and  it  is  said 
you  have  rendered  him  many  services  for  which  he  is 
grateful.  We  must  learn  from  him  how  this  opposition 
has  been  obtained,  for  our  enemies,  you  imderstand, 
have  fewer  rights  to  put  forward  than  I,  as,  after  all,  I 
am  in  possession  of  my  fortune,  and  the  opposition  in 
question  is,  in  spite  of,  or  because  of,  its  validity,  an  ab- 
solutely arbitrary  act.  I  want  you  to  go  to  see  Monsieur 
Waddington,  to  explain  the  situation  to  him,  to  ask 
him  to  find  out  how  and  on  what  grounds  the  opposition 
has  been  taken,  and  then  to  use  his  authority  to  protect 
me  against  the  injustice  of  which  I  am  the  victim." 

What  Marsa  had  said  was  perfectly  true.  M.  Wadding- 
ton cherished  a  real  sentiment  of  gratitude  toward  me. 
On  the  1 2th  of  November,  1877,  at  the  fall  of  the  Cabinet 
of  the  1 6th  of  May,  M.  Dufaure  was  about  to  form  his 
ministry,  in  which  M.  Waddington  was  to  take  the  port- 
folio of  education  and  the  Count  de  Saint  Vallier  that 
of  Foreign  Affairs. 

At  the  request  of  some  friends  I  went  to  see  M.  Dufaure, 


ALVA  i8i 

who  always  showed  me  the  greatest  good- will,  and 
proved  to  him  that  he  ought  to  give  the  portfolio  of 
education  to  M.  Bardoux,  his  former  associate  at  the 
Ministry  of  Justice,  that  M.  de  Saint  Vallier,  for  whom 
Prince  Bismarck  professed  particular  sympathy,  ought 
to  be  sent  to  Berlin,  and  that  for  peremptory  reasons  he 
ought  to  give  the  ministry  of  foreign  affairs  to  M.  Wad- 
dington.  To  this  M.  Dufaure  agreed,  and  on  the  spot 
he  confided  to  me  the  mission  of  seeing  M.  Waddington 
and,  in  his  name,  of  offering  him  the  ministry  of  for- 
eign affairs,  instead  of  that  of  education.  I  went 
immediately,  in  spite  of  the  late  hour,  to  the  Rue  Du- 
mont  d'Urville,  to  M,  Waddington's  house,  to  fulfil  the 
mission  entrusted  to  me. 

M.  Waddington,  after  some  hesitation,  and  notwith- 
standing Madame  Waddington's  energetic  opposition, 
accepted  the  offer  and  became  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs 
in  the  Dufaure  Cabinet.  It  was  thus  that  he  took  part, 
as  first  Plenipotentiary,  in  the  Berlin  Congress,  where, 
throughout  the  sessions,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end, 
I  was  fortunate  enough  to  render  him  daily  services,  and 
where  I  constantly  defended  him  by  word  and  pen  against 
the  attacks  of  the  French  newspapers. 

After  the  Congress  I  explained  and  upheld  his  acts  to 
his  chief,  M.  Dufaure,  the  Prime  Minister,  and  finally,  in  a 
long  talk  with  M.  Gambetta,  a  summary  of  which,  in 
the  form  of  an  interview,  appeared  in  the  Times,  and 
was,  by  M.  Gambetta's  orders,  reproduced  in  the  R/pub- 
lique  Frangaise,  I  brought  about  between  the  two  a 
rapprochement,  as  a  consequence  of  which  M.  Gambetta 
abandoned  his  hostility  toward  M.  Waddington. 

The  latter,  moreover,  never  ceased  to  show  his  affection 


i82  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

for  me,  and  when  Marsa  proposed  to  me  to  see  him 
I  readily  consented,  sure  in  advance  that  I  should 
succeed,  and  delighted  at  the  thought  of  making 
her  happy. 

As  I  was  crossing  the  courtyard  of  the  hotel,  I  perceived 
the  manager  looking  at  me  from  his  office  door.  I  went 
up  to  him  and  told  him  that  what  he  had  said  the  night 
before  was  true,  but  that  the  embarrassment  of  the 
Duchess  was  temporary,  and  that  I  begged  him  to  make 
no  change  in  his  manner  toward  her,  and  even  to  speak 
to  the  shopkeepers,  in  order  to  induce  them  to  continue 
to  extend  their  confidence  to  the  Duchess,  for,  I  cdded, 
"I  guarantee  that  neither  you  nor  any  one  will  lose  a 
penny."  The  manager  was  delighted  and  promised  to 
do  what  I  asked.  I  felt  no  anxiety  in  standing  surety  for 
Marsa  after  what  she  had  said,  and,  convinced  as  I  was 
that  I  should  succeed  almost  immediately  in  arranging 
matters,  this  detail  seemed  quite  natural. 

I  went  off  to  the  Quai  d'Orsay  to  see  M.  Waddington. 
He  received  me  with  his  customary  warmth.  I  asked 
him  if  he  had  time  to  listen  to  me.  He  rang  for  the  usher, 
gave  orders  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed  imtil  he 
called,  and,  opening  the  door  that  led  into  the  bureau  of 
his  Chef  de  Cabinet,  gave  similar  orders  there.  He 
listened  to  me  attentively,  insisting  that  I  should  omit 
no  detail,  now  and  then  showing  that  my  story  touched 
him.     When  I  had  finished,  he  said : 

"  I  thank  you  for  telling  me  this,  although  I  am  really 
troubled  about  it;  but  my  knowledge  of  the  affair  was 
very  slight.  I  had  heard  of  it,  but  had  attached  little 
importance  to  the  matter.  I  am  going  to  examine  it 
carefully  and  without  delay..    If  you  will  come  back  at 


ALVA  183 

2.30  to-morrow  I  hope  to  be  able  to  give  you  every 
satisfaction." 

I  rushed  off  to  Marsa  to  report  the  good  news.  She 
was  deHghted  and  said  to  me: 

"  I  have  only  just  received  a  letter  from  Alven,  of  which 
I  will  speak  to  you  to-morrow  when  all  is  over,  although 
I  may  tell  you  that  he  says,  even  if  I  do  not  succeed  in 
averting  the  perfidious  attack  of  which  I  am  the  object, 
I  must  not  despair." 

"I  hope,"  I  replied,  "that  the  day  after  to-morrow  I 
shall  bring  you  a  definite  solution,  and  that  you  will 
have  no  need  of  appealing  to  Doctor  Alven." 

Alas !  I  did  not  bring  her  on  that  date  a  definite 
solution.  I  found  M.  Waddington  nervous  and  anxious, 
almost  irritated.  He  had  immediately  investigated 
the  matter. 

"  I  have  made  the  necessary  inquiry,"  he  said.  "Although 
I  regret  it,  I  am  bound  to  tell  you  frankly  that  I  cannot 
possibly  agree  to  do  what  you  ask  of  me.  We  are  face  to 
face  with  the  direct  intervention  of  a  powerful  Ambassador, 
acting  under  the  orders  of  his  Government.  The  opposi- 
tion to  the  payment  is  perfectly  regular,  and  we  are  on 
the  point  of  receiving  proofs  of  its  validity  and  of  the 
rights  of  seizure  which  are  demanded.  I  beg  you  to 
excuse  me  for  what  I  am  going  to  say,  but  your  two 
protegees  are  described  as  adventuresses  and  accused  of 
embezzlement,  while  the  story  of  the  daughter  of  a  royal 
Princess  is  treated  as  a  ridiculous  fable.  She  is  said  to  be 
merely  the  illegitimate  child  of  the  woman  called  the 
Duchess,  and  the  latter  is  accused  of  having  taken 
advantage  of  the  insanity  of  the  Princess,  whose  maid 
of  honour  she  was,  to  steal  from  her  the  estate  settled  on 


1 84  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

her.  In  order  to  satisfy  you,  I  should  have  first  to  talk 
the  matter  over  with  the  President  of  the  Republic,  and 
then  bring  it  before  the  Cabinet  Council.  But  I  am  sure 
I  should  have  M.  Grevy  against  me  as  well  as  the  Cabinet 
— ^that  is  to  say,  I  should  have  to  resign,  which  would 
in  no  way  advance  matters,  for,  after  aU,  I  may  perhaps 
be  able  to  be  of  service  to  you." 

I  got  up  hastily.  M.  Waddington  reproached  me  for 
my  brusk  movement,  and,  as  I  saw  that  he  deeply 
regretted  the  whole  affair,  the  idea  of  Doctor  Alven's 
letter  came  to  me,  and,  quite  by  chance,  and  in  order  to 
gain  time,  I  said  to  M.  Waddington  that  I  had  promised 
to  stand  surety  for  Marsa,  that  I  was  personally  much 
embarrassed,  and,  since  he  was  to  be  shown  the  proofs  of 
the  legality  of  the  opposition,  I  begged  him  to  grant  me  a 
little  time.  "Since  the  proof  is  to  be  given  you,"  I  said, 
"you  may  at  all  events,  in  some  way  or  other,  find  a  way 
of  postponing  the  seizure  for  several  months,  particularly 
as  I  shall  be  greatly  inconvenienced  now  that  I  am  surety 
for  these  ladies." 

M.  Waddington  was  really  troubled.  "I  think,"  he 
said,  "that  you  have  the  truth  on  your  side.  Your  story 
must  be  true,  for  you  were  the  first  to  show  me  how  to 
verify  it.  But  I  can  do  nothing  against  the  state  of 
things  which  would  appear  Hke  assuming  an  insulting 
attitude  against  the  honoured  representative  of  a  great 
power.  Yet,  in  order  to  prove  to  you  my  complete  good 
faith,  I  promise  that  the  authorisation  for  the  seizure 
shall  not  be  granted  before  August  15th.  That,  I  fear, 
is  all  I  can  do  for  you." 

Evidently,  if  Marsa  did  not  faint  on  my  telling  her  this, 
it  was  because  she  still  had  faith  in  Alven,  and  because  she 


ALVA  185 

saw  me,  too,  in  such  despair  that  she  had  recourse  to  all 
her  energy.     She  said  to  me : 

"Alven  is  at  present  at  Samaden  in  the  Engadine,  in 
charge  of  a  distinguished  patient,  whom  he  cannot  leave 
for  a  single  day.  He  keeps  me  apprised  of  what  is  going 
on.  They  are  trying  to  collect  the  documents  to  prove 
that  the  Princess  was  insane  before  she  sold  her  lands  and 
before  giving  me  the  securities.  Alven  has  interfered 
heroically  in  this  infamous  plot.  Other  doctors  have 
come  to  his  rescue.  He  does  not  know  whether  he  will 
succeed  in  thwarting  this  scheme,  but  in  any  case  it  will 
take  some  time  for  things  to  come  to  a  crisis.  Alven  begs 
me  to  go  to  him  with  Alva,  whom  he  longs  to  see.  He 
does  not  know,  my  poor  dear  friend,  that  I  am  myself  a 
prisoner,  and  that  in  spite  of  your  intervention  with  my 
creditors,  my  departure  would  look  like  flight,  that  I 
should  receive  a  legal  summons,  and  that  we  should  be 
ruined.  Yet  Alven  declares  that  he  must  know  abso- 
lutely all  the  details  of  what  has  occurred,  and  this  can 
be  only  viva  voce.  Moreover,  I  must  be  prompt,  for  he  is 
about  to  leave  Samaden  with  his  patient,  probably  for 
Cairo." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?"  I  asked. 

She  blushed,  then  grew  pale.  After  a  few  moments  of 
hesitation,  she  finally  said : 

"I  am  going  to  appeal  to  the  greatest  devotion,  the 
greatest  abnegation,  the  greatest  sentiment  of  honour,  of 
which  a  man  can  give  proof  to  two  women  whom  he  does 
not  know.  Will  you  accompany  Alva  with  one  of  my  maids 
to  Samaden?  I  know  that  in  confiding  her  to  your 
honour  I  am  not  wanting  in  my  duty  toward  her.  But  I 
do  not  wish  it  to  be  known  that  Alven  has  met  her — • 


1 86  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

first,  because  they  would  take  vengeance  on  him,  and 
secondly,  because,  if  proved,  this  meeting  would  destroy 
the  intervention  against  the  declaration  of  madness,  and 
everything  would  be  lost." 

"  But  when  shall  we  start  ?"  I  asked. 
She  grasped  my  hand  and  kissed  it,  covering  it  with 
tears. 

"  Your  kindness  consoles  me  for  all  my  woes.  You  will 
leave  on  the  fourteenth;  Hugot,  who  will  precede  you, 
will  await  you  at  Lucerne,  where  you  will  arrive  on  the 
morning  of  the  fifteenth.  Go  to  the  Hotel  National, 
where  he  will  be  introduced  to  you  by  the  hotel  people 
and  offer  his  services  as  courier.  He  knows  quite  well 
what  to  do  and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  coimtry. 
He  will  conduct  you  to  Samaden  and  even  farther,  as  a 
tourist  travelling  by  post-chaise.  At  Samaden  you  will 
go  to  the  hotel  where  Alven  is  stopping.  Alva,  toward 
II  p.  M.,  will  feel  unwell,  and  Hugot,  in  seeking  a  doctor, 
will  naturally  appeal  to  Alven,  who  will  have  returned 
half  an  hour  earlier.  Alva  will  remain  ill  two  days, 
during  which  time  she  will  be  taken  care  of  by  her  maid ; 
and  you  three — Alva,  you  and  Alven — will  thus  have 
ample  time  to  talk  without  arousing  suspicion,  and  to  do 
what  Alven  tells  you  or  directs  me  to  do." 

She  interrupted  her  explanations  and  paused  some 
length  of  time.  Then  resolutely,  as  if  summoning  all  her 
courage,  she  said : 

"Alas !  this  is  not  all;  but  at  present  I  dare  not  part 
with  the  little  money  that  remains,  and " 

I  interrupted  her  : 

"Do  not  let  us  lose  precious  moments  in  futile  words. 
I  shall  be  delighted  to  take  this  trip,  and  I  am  sure  that 


ALVA  187 

Alva's  presence  will  make  it  more  charming.  I  will 
advance  the  money.  If  you  recover  your  property,  you 
will  give  me  back  Alva's  half  of  the  expenses.  If  not,  I 
shall  endeavour  to  bear  the  loss." 

On  the  morning  of  July  15th  we  arrived  at  Lucerne, 
at  the  Hotel  National.  We  waited  for  Hugot.  Toward 
noon  the  manager  of  the  hotel,  then  the  famous  M.  Ritz, 
came  to  see  me  and  informed  me  that  a  courier,  who 
had  just  left  a  family  whom  he  had  accompanied  to 
Lucerne,  offered  me  his  services.     It  was  Hugot. 

I  wanted  to  start  immediately,  but  Alva  was  fatigued 
and  wanted  to  rest  until  the  morrow.  Moreover — and 
this  was  a  very  feminine  trait — in  spite  of  all  I  could  say, 
and  although  we  were  thus  losing  a  day,  she  refused  to 
continue  our  journey  without  having  made  the  ascent  of 
the  Rigi.  I  had  to  yield.  Hugot  was  to  leave  on  the 
morrow  for  Fluellen  at  the  end  of  the  Lake  of  Four 
Cantons,  where  he  transported  our  baggage,  and  we  and 
the  maid  were  to  stop  at  Vitznau,  lunch  on  the  Rigi,  take 
the  afternoon  boat,  and  meet  Hugo  at  Fluellen. 

We  fotind  him  there  with  the  hotel  carnage,  and  he 
told  us  he  had  engaged  a  four-horse  team,  such  as  is 
habitually  employed  for  this  route,  to  drive  by  the 
St.  Gothard,  by  Andermatten  and  Chiaso  to  Lugano, 
where  we  should  cross  the  lake  to  continue,  on  the  oppo- 
site shore,  our  journey  to  Samaden.  We  started  on  the 
following  morning,  and  an  incident  on  the  route  depressed 
us  by  the  lugubrious  presentiments  that  it  inspired,  but 
which,  happily,  were  not  realised. 

Two  years  before  I  had  gone  from  the  Rigi, 
where  I  was  staying,  to  Goeschenen,  to  visit  the  works 
in  the  St.  Gothard  tunnel.     I  had  been  received  most 


i88  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

hospitably  there  by  M.  Fabre,  the  contractor  of  the 
tunnel,  and  he  had  shown  me  the  work  that  had  already 
been  accomplished.  When,  two  years  later,  I  passed 
with  Alva  by  Goeschenen,  in  front  of  the  very  hotel 
where  I  had  been  received,  I  was  asked  to  stop  my 
carriage,  and  I  saw,  issuing  from  the  tunnel,  an  immense 
procession  of  men  in  dark  clothes  following  a  coffin, 
which  passed  before  us.  They  were  workmen  of  the 
tunnel  accompanying  to  his  last  resting-place  the  body 
of  M.  Fabre.  I  was  much  impressed  by  the  somber 
coincidence,  and  arrived  with  a  heavy  heart  at  Ander- 
matten,  whence  without  further  incident  we  proceeded 
to  Samaden. 

There  we  remained  two  days.  Alven  was  informed  of 
all  the  necessary  details.  He  was  delighted  to  see  Alva, 
and  he  parted  from  her  in  despair.  Hugot's  conduct 
had  been  admirable.  Not  the  slightest  suspicion  had 
arisen  in  regard  to  us.  When  I  went  away,  Alven  gave 
me  a  large  and  heavy  letter  in  a  double  envelope,  saying : 

"  Take  great  care  of  it ;  it  is  perhaps  salvation  itself. 
I  have  rendered  to  the  omnipotent  person  to  whom  it  is 
addressed  the  greatest  service  a  man  can  render  to 
another  man.  I  saved  from  certain  death  a  htmian  being 
he  adored.  He  has  always  said  that  there  was  nothing 
he  would  refuse  me.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever 
appealed  to  him,  and  if,  on  returning  to  Paris,  the  situation 
has  not  yet  improved,  tear  open  the  first  envelope  and 
carry  the  letter,  without  even  showing  it  to  Marsa, 
to  the  address  on  the  second  envelope." 

Alva  returned  to  her  hotel,  accompanied  by  Hugot 
and  her  maid,  and  on  the  morrow,  Marsa  having  informed 
me  that  there  had  been  no  change,  I  tore  open  the  first 


ALVA  189 

envelope  and  saw  that  the  second  was  addressed,  with 
the  word  "Confidential,"  to  "Prince  Orloff,  Ambassador 
of  H.  M.  the  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias,  Paris." 

When  on  the  address  of  the  second  envelope  I  saw 
Prince  Orioff's  name  I  was  delighted,  for  I  knew  the 
intervention  would  be  a  powerful  one,  and  that  my  rela- 
tions with  the  Prince  would  permit  me  to  make  the  most 
of  it.  I  hastened  to  see  him.  Without  offering  any 
explanations,  I  handed  to  him  Alven's  voluminous 
missive.  When  he  had  opened  it  and  looked  at  the 
signature,  he  said  to  me  with  a  voice  full  of  emotion : 

"  Ah  !  you  come  from  a  man  who  is  as  dear  to  me  as  any 
one  in  this  worid  outside  of  my  family ;  but  I  see  that  the 
letter  is  very  long.  I  should  like  to  read  it  carefully, 
whatever  may  be  its  contents,  and  we  will  talk  about  it 
to-morrow  if  you  will  come  back  then." 

I  returned  on  the  following  day  and  found  him  in  a 
somewhat  excited  state. 

"  I  will  do  all  that  is  possible  for  a  man  to  do,"  said  he, 
"all  that  is  not  contrary  to  my  absolute  duty,  all,  and 
I  am  ready  to  talk  with  you." 

The  conversation  was  a  long  one,  and  more  than  once 
he  exclaimed : 

"  What !  this  girl  whom  you  call  Alva  is  the  daughter  of 
that  adorable,  that  ever  memorable  Princess  who  was  the 
great  star  of  my  youth,  and  whose  mystery  I  have  never 
been  able  to  fathom !  I  will  do  everything,  but  what 
can  I  do?" 

"You  must  go  to  see  M.  Waddington,"  I  replied,  "to 
destroy  the  effect  of  the  abominable  caliminies  that  have 
been  told  him,  to  show  to  him  the  infamy  of  the  whole 
spoliation  in  which  they  want  to  make  him  their  accom- 


I90  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

plice,  and,  if  he  refuses  to  listen  to  you,  declare  to  him 
that  you  will  ask  for  your  passports." 

"Yes,"  said  he,  " I  will  do  all  except  the  last  part,  for, 
if  I  declare  that  in  case  of  refusal  I  shall  ask  for  my  pass- 
ports, it  would  be  a  threat  to  which  he  could  not  yield 
without  compromising  the  dignity ,  of  his  coimtry.  I 
shall  confine  myself,  therefore,  to  the  first  part  of  the 
programme,  and  we  shall  see  what  happens." 

This  he  did,  and,  as  a  consequence,  M.  Waddington  told 
him  that  he  would  submit  the  case  to  a  still  closer  examina- 
tion and  inform  him  as  to  the  result. 

We  waited  two  days,  but  nothing  happened.  I  returned 
to  see  Prince  Orloff. 

"I  think  I  know,"  said  I,  "what  is  taking  place.  They 
find  themselves  between  the  pressing  intervention  of 
two  powerful  Ambassadors.  They  are  going  to  try  to 
drag  the  affair  along,  and  they  will  ^inform  the  Ambassa- 
dor, our  opponent,  to  hasten  to  present,  without  further 
delay,  the  promised  proof.  But  we,  on  our  side,  have  no 
time  to  lose.  Every  day  is  precious,  and  we  ought  to 
push  the  matter  forward  or  all  is  lost. " 

"What,  then,  do  you  advise?"  asked  the  Prince. 

"I  wUl  tell  you,"  I  said.  "Your  Excellency,  I  am  well 
aware,  cannot  directly  threaten  to  hand  in  your  passports, 
but  I  can  go  to  see  M.  Waddington  and  tell  him  if  he 
refuses  to  accomplish  the  act  of  justice  which  he  demands, 
you  are  bound  to  consider  it  as  a  personal  offense  and  will 
then  feel  it  your  duty  to  demand  your  passports." 

"But  he  will  think  you  are  merely  talking,"  was  the 
reply,  "and  will  pay  no  heed  to  it." 

"No,"  said  I,  "if  you  will  do  what  I  ask,  I  will  say  to 
him  if  he  expresses  any  doubt,  that,  to  prove  to  him  the 


ALVA  191 

accuracy  of  my  words,  you  will  go  to  see  him  at  4:45 — 
that  is  to  say,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  what  is  termed 
the  'signature  time,'  when  visitors  are  not  allowed  to 
remain  any  longer — and  that  you  will  merely  say  to  him, 
in  giving  him  your  hand,  without  another  word,  'I  come 
to  say  that  I  have  authorised  M.  de  Blowitz  to  speak  to 
you  as  he  has  done,  and  I  hope  that  on  my  next  visit  I 
shall  have  to  thank  you.'  Then  you  will  give  him  a 
good  hand-shake  and  take  your  leave." 

"So  be  it,"  he  answered;  "only  let  me  know  if  he 
expects  me." 

When  I  had  explained  to  M.  Waddington  the  motive  of 
my  visit  he  exclaimed  excitedly  and  almost  angrily: 
"But  it  is  araison  d'etat  that  you  are  creating  of  this. 
You  are  placing  two  great  Ambassadors  in  opposition 
to  each  other.  Yet  we  cannot  forget  Prince  Orloff's 
attitude  in  1875,  when  the  German  military  party  threat- 
ened us  with  a  second  invasion.  I  await  Prince  Orloff's 
visit,  and  if  he  comes,  I  promise,  you  that  I  will  carry 
the  whole  business  before  the  President  of  the  Republic 
and  call  his  special  attention  to  it." 

Prince  Orloff's  visit  took  place,  and  three  days  later 
M.  Waddington  sent  for  me, 

"The  President,  the  Minister  of  Justice  and  I  have  had 
two  conversations  during  the  last  three  days,  and  here 
is  our  decision.  We  cannot  offend  the  Embassy  that  is 
your  opponent,  and  I  have  declared  that  the  situation 
cannot  go  on  as  it  is.  We  shall  wait  six  days  longer,  and 
if  within  that  period  the  incontestable  justification  has  not 
reached  us,  the  Minister  of  Justice  will  order  the  raising  of 
the  opposition.  Moreover,  the  present  situation  is  unpre- 
cedented.    Neither  the  lady  who  possesses  the  fortune 


192  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

nor  those  who  formulate  the  opposition  can  justify,  nor 
probably  ever  will  be  able  to  prove  a  right  to  this  property ; 
and  if  this  should  go  on  we  should  be  obliged  to  hand 
over  these  securities  to  the  Caisse  des  Depots  et  Consigna- 
tions, and  this  would  probably  be  the  end  of  them.  We 
should  thus  bequeath  to  the  State  endless  difficulties  for 
the  future,  whr'ch  it  is  our  duty  to  try  to  avoid.  Your 
protegee,  however,  has  on  her  side  the  right  of  possession, 
and  it  is  out  of  respect  for  this  right  that  we  are  acting. 
Tell  her  to  hold  herself  in  readiness,  for  I  do  not  think 
from  the  replies  I  have  received  that  this  justification 
can  arrive  in  time.  On  the  31st,  at  noon,  if  the 
period  elapses  without  the  arrival  of  the  proofs,  come  to 
see  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  has  occurred." 

At  the  appointed  hour  I  was  with  M.  Waddington, 
He  informed  me  that  orders  had  just  been  given  and  that 
at  3  .'30  the  opposition  would  be  raised,  but  that,  as  the 
proof  could,  notwithstanding,  arrive  at  any  moment,  he 
urged  us  to  lose  no  time. 

Marsa  and  Alva  were  wild  with  joy.  It  was  not  only 
their  fortune,  but  their  honour,  their  liberty  and  their  life 
that  were  at  stake.  Two  enormous  boxes  had  been 
prepared  in  advance  to  contain  the  papers.  At  3:30 
Marsa,  Alva  and  Hugot  went  to  the  bank,  whither  I  had 
refused  to  accompany  them,  and  there,  without  any 
obstacle  being  thrown  in  their  way,  the  cashier  delivered 
the  papers.  The  boxes  in  which  they  were  placed  were 
nailed  down  immediately.  As  there  had  been  no  time 
to  detach  the  coupons,  the  bank  itself  bought  and  paid 
for,  cash  down,  certain  securities  amounting  to  200,000 
francs,  which  Marsa  took;  and  that  very  evening 
Hugot,  accompanied  by  two  policemen  in  plain  clothes. 


ALVA  193 

embarked  for  London,  where  he  deposited  the  money 
in  the  former  repository. 

As  M.  Waddington  had  urged  me  to  induce  these 
ladies  to  leave  Paris  as  soon  as  possible,  Marsa  spent  the 
next  three  days  in  settling  to  the  last  centime  all  her 
Paris  bills,  and  on  the  5th  of  the  month  following,  at 
II  A.  M.,  after  having  packed  all  their  belongings,  they 
left  for  England. 

I  went  with  them  as  far  as  Calais,  and  only  left  the 
boat  and  returned  to  the  quay  when  the  whistle  blew, 
annoimcing  the  departure  of  the  steamer  for  England. 


CHAPTER  X 
The  Revenge  of  Venus 

It  all  happened  at  the  beginning  of  the  winter  of  1881. 
Mr.  Beckman,  the  Paris  correspondent  of  the  Berlin 
National  Zeitung,  who  was  then  living  in  the  Rue  de 
Chateaudiin,  invited  me  to  dinner  at  his  house.  An 
amiable,  active,  boisterous,  but  kindly  person,  Mr. 
Beckman,  occupied  at  the  time,  and,  in  fact,  maintained 
until  the  end  of  his  life,  a  position  in  Paris  that  was  not 
altogether  an  easy  one.  Before  the  war  of  1870  he  had 
enjoyed  most  familiar  and  sympathetic  relations  with 
Frenchmen.  He  wrote  in  Le  Temps,  one  of  the  papers 
most  dreaded  by  the  Empire.  The  numerous  contributors 
to  that  journal,  all  of  whom  were  advancing  with  firm 
and  sonorous  step  along  the  path  of  Liberalism,  were  all 
friends  of  Beckman.  In  its  editorial  rooms  he  had  no 
enemy.  All  the  writers  of  Le  Temps,  who  were  waging 
unceasingly  a  courteous  but  energetic  battle  against  the 
Empire,  used  to  listen  deferentially  to  him  and,  verily,  to 
open  their  hearts  to  him. 

Suddenly  war  broke  out  and  Beckman  left  Paris. 

One  can  easily  understand  that  it  was  not  possible  for 
him  to  remain  in  Paris,  but  it  was  thought  that  he  would 
withdraw  into  some  neutral  country.  It  appears  that 
he  did  not  do  this,  and  when,  after  peace  was  concluded, 
he  returned  to  France  and  resumed  his  duties  as  corre- 
spondent, at  the  same  time  accepting  the  position  of 

194 


THE   REVENGE   OF   VENUS  195 

reader  of  French  newspapers  at  the  German  Embassy, 
French  houses  closed  their  doors  to  him,  and  he  never 
succeeded  in  getting  them  open  again.  As,  however, 
there  was  no  necessity  for  me  to  take  part  in  this  quarrel, 
and  as  Beckman  was  a  kindly  and  serviceable  colleague, 
a  mutual  friend  arranged  for  us  to  meet,  and  a  short 
time  afterward  Beckman  invited  me  to  dinner,  calling 
upon  me  himself  in  order  to  insist  on  my  presence. 

On  the  day  appointed  I  arrived  at  his  house.  The 
drawing-room  filled  rapidly  with  guests,  almost  all  of 
whom  were  conspicuous  members  of  the  foreign  colonies 
in  Paris.  It  was  past  the  time  fixed  for  dinner,  and 
Beckman  had  chosen  for  the  ladies  their  various  partners. 
I  was  rather  surprised  to  find  that  I  had  evidently  been 
forgotten,  when  my  host  came  up  to  me  and  said : 

"We  are  waiting  for  a  lady  who  is  by  no  means  the 
least  charming  of  my  guests.  Princess  Kralta,  and  you  are 
to  take  her  in  to  dinner." 

A  few  moments  later  the  door  opened;  there  was 
a  flutter  of  surprise,  and  I  beheld  a  lady  whose 
exquisite  elegance,  complete  ease  and,  in  a  word,  beauty 
attracted  general  attention.  She  smiled  in  the  most 
charming  way,  and  in  a  melodious  voice  apologised  for 
her  late  arrival.  Beckman  led  me  up  to  her  and  intro- 
duced me  as  her  partner.  Soon  afterward  the  dining- 
room  doors  were  thrown  open  and  we  all  went  in  to 
dinner. 

When  the  noise  occasioned  by  the  seating  of  a  score  of 
guests  had  somewhat  subsided,  the  boisterous  voice  of 
our  amphitryon  rang  out  joyously : 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  let  every  one  who  is  not 
content  with  his  or  her  neighbour  put  up  the  hand." 


196  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

Gravely  the  lady  to  the  right  of  Beckman  raised  hers, 
and  the  burst  of  laughter  that  ensued  was  the  prelude  to 
an  extremely  gay  and  lively  dinner. 

The  Princess  Kralta  turned  quickly  to  me.  Her 
large  blue  eyes,  which  lighted  up  one  of  the  most  fasci- 
nating faces  I  have  ever  seen,  were  levelled  at  me 
coquettishly.  She  gave  a  Httle  toss  to  the  silky  curls  of 
her  Hght  chestnut  hair  as  she  said  with  a  smile  which 
revealed  the  brilliancy  of  her  small  teeth : 

"I  don't  know  whether  you  are  inclined  to  put  your 
hand  up,  but  I  shall  certainly  do  nothing  of  the  sort,  for 
I  am  charmed  with  my  neighbour,  and  this  confession 
will  not  make  you  too  vain  when  I  have  told  you  why. 
I  will  not  conceal  from  you  that  I  am  just  back  from 
Berlin  and  that  the  Prince"  [Prince  Bismarck]  "on  bid- 
ding me  good-by  said  to  me :    '  If  you  go  to  Paris  look 
up  M.  de  Blowitz.     There  has  been  a  violent  discussion  in 
the  papers  between  him  and  me.     I  allowed  the  press  to 
attack  him  violently.     It  was  on  the  subject  of  a  speech 
about  Gortchakoff,  which  he  attributed  to  me  during 
the  Berlin  Congress.     I  fancy  he    somewhat  embellished 
this  speech,  but  it  is  quite  true  that  I  did  deliver  it  sub- 
stantially as  he  gave  it ;  this  is  why  I  accused  him  indirectly 
of  mixing  up  truth  and  fiction.     However,  I  bear  him 
no  grudge.     He  exercises  his  profession  as  well  as  he  can, 
and  that  is  far  above  the  ordinary;  so  that,  if  you  have 
an  opportunity,  try  to  meet  him.     He  knows  Paris  well, 
and  he  is  an  excellent  guide.* " 

The  Princess  added:  "I  feel  I  need  not  hide  this  cir- 
cumstance from  you  and  it  will  allow  us  to  dispense  with 
long  preliminaries.  As  a  proof  of  the  imceremonious 
way  in  which  I  make  friends  I  will  tell  you  this :  although 


THE   REVENGE   OF   VENUS  197 

it  is  now  some  time  since  the  Congress  met,  the  curiosity 
of  the  Prince  is  still  very  keen  as  to  how  you  obtained 
possession,  in  advance,  of  the  treaty  of  Berlin.  He 
cannot  understand  it.  He  considers  it  natural  that  you 
should  have  tried  to  get  it,  and  he  assured  me  that  the 
fact  rather  amused  him  than  otherwise.  He  nevertheless 
feels  convinced  that  in  one  way  or  another  he  will  event- 
ually get  at  the  truth.  His  chief  grievance  is  that  you, 
by  a  combination  that  was  very  simple,  should  have 
prevented  him  from  commimicating  the  treaty  first  to  the 
German  press.  He  wished  to  do  this  as  a  gracious  return 
for  the  patriotic  hospitality  with  which  that  press  received 
the  members  of  the  Congress  in  the  capital  of  the  new 
German  Empire.  And  I — I  tell  you  frankly,  because 
I  am  eager  to  win  your  confidence  and,  perhaps  later, 
your  friendship — I  told  him  that  I  would  try  to  obtain 
the  secret  from  you,  since  he  appears  to  be  so  bent  on 
knowing  it.  I  added  that  it  could  not  be  one  of 
those  secrets  which  resist  forever  the  firm  will  of  a 
woman  ready  to  prove  herself  worthy  of  the  confidence 
she  solicits." 

I  laughed  and  said  that  it  really  was  a  charming  way  of 
making  an  acquaintance,  when  so  fascinating  a  woman 
let  me  know  plainly  at  what  price  her  friendship  could 
be  won.  And  it  can  easily  be  imagined  how,  after  these 
preliminaries,  the  dinner  was  continued — a  dinner  the 
memory  of  which  remains  still  vivid  in  my  mind, 
after  twenty  years  have  flown. 

I  have  not  the  slightest  recollection  as  to  who  the  other 
guests  were,  nor  as  to  the  conversation  that  went  on. 
But  what  I  do  recall  vividly  is  the  harmonious  voice  of 
my  neighbour  and  her  anecdotes  about  her  life  at  Berlin, 


198  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

which  had  been  one  long  fete.  She  had  access  there  to 
the  most  select  circles.  As  I  was  obliged  to  leave  immedi- 
ately after  dinner  in  order  to  work,  I  avoided  the  smoking- 
room,  and  bade  good-by  to  my  radiant  neighbour, 
who  said  to  me,  "I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  come 
to  see  me,  not  so  much  on  my  day,  but  any  time 
you  like." 

After  such  a  beginning,  the  reader  will  understand 
that  our  acquaintance  was  not  to  end  there. 

Five  or  six  days  later  I  called  on  the  Princess  at  her 
very  attractive  home  not  far  from  the  Arc  de  Triomphe. 
She  received  me  with  a  certain  grace  that  had  a  touch 
of  familiarity,  showing  that  she  had  pleasant  recollec- 
tions of  her  visitor.  Some  time  afterward,  as  I  had  not 
yet  met  her  husband,  she  wrote  to  invite  me  to  dinner, 
adding  that  she  should  be  charmed  at  this  opportunity 
of  bringing  us  together. 

When  I  entered  her  drawing-room  on  the  evening  of 
this  dinner  I  was  struck  by  the  somewhat  heterogeneous 
aspect  of  the  company.  Not  only  were  there  various 
nationalities  represented,  but  there  was,  as  well,  a  curious 
mingling  of  really  great  names  of  vanished  French  regimes 
and  of  eminent  personalities  of  the  existing  one.  With 
these  there  was  a  discreet  infusion  of  Germans,  for  the 
dinner  was  a  sort  of  birthday  banquet,  although  I  did  not 
know  it  at  the  time,  and  the  initiated  had  filled  the  house 
with  a  profusion  of  fragrant  flowers,  the  warm  colours 
of  which,  under  the  brilliant  light  that  played  over  the 
elegant  toilets  and  glistened  from  the  precious  stones, 
formed  for  the  hostess  a  sumptuous  and  radiant  frame. 

The  Princess  introduced  me  to  her  husband  in  the 
most  correct  way,  but  with  a  studied  negligence,  as  if 


THE  REVENGE  OF  VENUS  199 

the  introduction  as  merely  an  incident  of  secondary 
importance. 

After  dinner  she  asked  me  which  was  my  wife's  day, 
and  begged  me  to  say  that  she  intended  to  call.  During 
the  entire  evening  she  was  much  absorbed  by  her  duties 
as  hostess,  but  she  said  to  me  as  I  took  my  leave : 

"I  know  that  you  never  stay  late,  but  I  hope  to  see 
you  one  of  these  days  to  resume  our  conversation, 
for  I  warn  you  that  I  still  cling  to  my  idea  of  wresting 
your  secret  from  you,  and  I  desire  this  all  the 
more  as  it  is  in  order  to  give  pleasure  to  a  certain 
person  you  know." 

When  I  called  upon  her  after  this  dinner  we  conversed 
in  a  lighter  vein,  and  I  left  the  Princess  without  her  being 
able  to  touch  on  what  she  called  "the  great  problem  of 
her  coquetry." 

She  came  to  see  my  wife,  and  I  returned  her  politeness 
by  inviting  her  and  her  husband  to  a  dinner  party  at  my 
house.  I  inaugurated  on  this  occasion  a  fashion  which 
pleased  her  and  which  shortly  afterward  was  widely 
imitated  in  Parisian  society.  I  had  installed  two 
orchestras,  which  played  very  softly  alternately,  in  two 
small  rooms  at  either  end  of  the  table,  so  that  the  con- 
versation continued  with  a  double  musical  accompani- 
ment which  filled  the  room  without  interfering  with  the 
conversation.  The  Princess,  charmed  with  this  idea, 
lost  no  time  in  adopting  it.  Before  long  she  invited  us 
to  dinner,  but  I  went  alone,  as  my  wife,  who  was  often  ill, 
was  obliged  to  decline  at  the  last  moment.  I  was  not 
surprised  on  sitting  down  to  hear  stringed  instruments 
filling  the  air  with  harmony,  while  in  the  gallery  at  some 
little  distance  a  Spanish  orchestra  played  in  swift  sue- 


200  MEMOIRS  OP  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

cession  the  characteristic  dances  and  the  Arab  songs 
which  the  Gitanas  sing  in  the  streets  of  Granada. 

This  dinner  had  a  character  of  its  own  and  was  iinlike 
any  given  in  other  Parisian  houses.  There  were  not  many- 
ladies  present — in  fact,  only  a  few  of  the  most  intimate 
friends  of  the  hostess ;  but,  on  account  of  my  position,  the 
men  interested  me  greatly.  The  entire  German  Embassy 
was  there,  with  its  great  and  illustrious  chief.  Prince 
Hohenlohe,  at  the  head.  The  Berlin  Congress  had  con- 
siderably tempered  the  relations  between  France  and 
Germany.  Prince  Bismarck  had  been  most  attentive 
and  deferential  to  the  representatives  of  France.  He 
insisted  at  the  Congress  on  settling  the  question  of  the 
Rimianian  Jews  and  also  that  of  Greece,  which  M. 
Waddington  had  so  much  at  heart.  He  never  lost  an 
opportimity  of  supporting  the  views  of  the  French 
Plenipotentiary,  whom  he  consulted  openly;  he  showed 
particular  attention  to  Coimt  de  St.  Vallier,  and  he 
managed  that  the  writing  of  the  protocols  should 
be  entrusted  to  the  exceptionally  capable  pen  of 
M.  Despres,  a  chief  secretary  at  the  French  Foreign 
Office,  and  third  French  Plenipotentiary  at  the  Berlin 
Congress.  Prince  Hohenlohe  himself  was  looked  upon 
as  an  ambassador  of  peace  and  conciliation.  All  his 
endeavours  and  the  efforts  of  those  under  him  were 
directed  to  smoothing  the  relations  between  France  and 
its  former  conqueror,  and  his  capable  associates,  among 
whom  was  the  yoimg  secretary,  Count  Von  Biilow,  now 
Imperial  Chancellor,  seconded  him  in  the  most  intelligent 
manner. 

On  finding  myself  in  the  Princess  Kralta's  drawing- 
room  in  the  midst  of  this  company,  I  apprehended  that 


THE   REVENGE   OF   VENUS  201 

it  was  due  to  the  intelligence  and  good-will  of  Prince 
Bismarck  that  such  elements  as  these  had  been  brought 
together  in  a  Paris  salon;  and  I  must  own  that  I  experi- 
enced a  certain  amount  of  apprehension,  for  I  felt  that 
all  here  were  of  one  mind,  and  I  gathered  that  the  hostess 
was  acting  under  the  individual  and  collective  influ- 
ence of  these  incomparable  strategists,  with  whom  she 
delighted  in  surroimding  herself. 

It  was  toward  the  beginning  of  the  summer  season  of 
1 88 1.  The  Princess  was  preparing  for  her  round  of 
watering-places.  My  own  vacation  was  approaching, 
and  I  resolved  after  this  particular  evening  to  keep  away 
for  a  time  from  this  woman  whose  actions  I  dreaded. 
I  saw  quite  well  that  she  had  not  given  up  her  idea  of 
discovering  the  secret  she  was  bent  on  obtaining  from 
me.  I  felt  that  the  whole  official  world  assembled  in  that 
room  were  taking  an  amused  delight  in  seconding  her 
efforts,  and  I,  on  my  side,  was  determined  not  to  succumb 
in  the  strange  battle  in  which  we  were  engaged.  After 
that  evening  I  met  the  Princess  only  once  again  before 
my  departure,  and  during  the  autumn  season  I  heard 
that  she  was  ill  and  could  not  see  any  one. 

The  season  of  1882  was  for  me  an  extraordinarily  absorb- 
ing one.  Now  and  then  in  some  French  or  foreign  salon. 
I  met  the  Princess,  who  had  recovered  from  her  illness. 
Her  chestnut  hair  had  turned  golden,  and  the  change 
had  so  transformed  her  that  she  seemed  to  me  like  a 
woman  with  a  fresh  and  new  charm. 

The  chances  of  renewing  our  acquaintance  became 
more  and  more  remote,  and  I  had  almost  forgotten  her 
when,  toward  the  middle  of  1883,  I  received  a  pressing 


202  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

invitation  to  luncheon  at  her  new  mansion  in  the  Avenue 
du  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

To  my  great  surprise,  and  contrary  to  her  custom, 
she  had  no  other  guest  but  her  mother,  an  Oriental 
flower  now  somewhat  faded,  whose  languishing  eyes 
gave  the  keynote  to  her  daughter's  beauty.  During 
luncheon  the  Princess,  who  had  acquired  additional 
grace  and  whose  experience  of  the  world,  of  men  and 
of  things  seemed  to  have  increased  since  I  had  last 
seen  her,  displayed  such  a  wealth  of  memory,  such  keen 
observation  and  such  resources  in  the  way  of  anecdotal 
chatter  that  I  was  perfectly  charmed,  and  the  time 
passed  only  too  quickly. 

"I  shall  write  you  to-morrow,"  she  said  when  I  left, 
"  to  ask  you  to  come  again,  when  I  will  tell  you  something 
of  my  most  recent  history.  I  am  sure  it  will  hold  its  own 
among  any  of  the  contemporary  mysteries  which  you 
may  know," 

Her  mother  at  these  words  looked  up  hastily.  "  But, 
Christine,"  she  said,  "you  promised  me  to  say  nothing 
about  that." 

"In  the  first  place,"  retorted  the  Princess,  somewhat 
vivaciously,  "when  I  told  you  about  it  you  made  no 
such  objection;  and,  secondly,  I  mean  to  tell  it  to  him 
just  to  prove  what  an  exception  I  make  in  his  case.  " 

The  next  morning  I  received  a  single  line:  "Come  to 
see  me  day  after  to-morrow  at  four  o'clock. " 

On  the  day  and  at  the  hour  indicated  I  went  to  the 
house  in  the  Avenue  du  Bois.  The  butler,  who  was  wait- 
ing in  the  antechamber,  had,  I  believe,  received  his  orders. 
He  ushered  me  into  the  second  drawing-room,  where  the 


THE  REVENGE  OF  VENUS  203 

Princess  was  wont  to  receive  her  unofficial  visitors. 
Although  it  was  still  long  before  nightfall,  the  shutters 
of  both  drawing-rooms  were  closed.  The  side-brackets 
in  the  large  salon  were  lighted  and  shed  only  a  vague 
radiance  across  the  lofty  and  spacious  room.  The 
smaller  salon  was  more  brilliantly  illuminated  by  an 
immense  candelabrum  standing  on  an  elegant  table 
in  front  of  a  sofa,  the  back  of  which  was  placed 
against  a  mirror  that  reached  to  the  ceiling.  The 
butler  asked  me  to  take  a  seat,  and  added  that  the 
Princess  would  be  with  me  immediately.  In  the  deep 
silence  that  reigned  I  heard  that  peculiar  sound 
which  is  made  by  the  soft  step  of  a  woman  advancing 
over  a  heavy  carpet,  amidst  the  vague  rustle  of  her  silken 
robes.  It  was  the  Princess,  and  I  saw  her  crossing  the 
bright  passage  lighted  by  the  brackets  of  the  outer  salon, 
then  partially  disappear  in  the  semi-obscurity  of  the 
large  room,  and  emerge  again  like  a  sudden  vision  at  the 
entrance  of  the  smaller  salon.  I  was  impressed  by  the 
imperiousness  of  all  her  movements  and  of  her  person, 
and  I  had  almost  forgotten  her  promise  to  tell  me 
her  adventures,  when  she  invited  me  to  take  a  seat  near 
her  on  the  sofa,  between  the  high  candlesticks  and  the 
immense  mirror  in  which  the  light  was  reflected. 

"And  now,"  she  said,  "let  me  tell  you  the  story  of 
which  I  spoke  to  you  three  days  ago.  It  will  prove 
to  you  that  I  regard  you  henceforth  as  a  friend  to  whom 
one  may  confide  one's  most  intimate  thoughts  without 
any  risk.  I  have,  I  think,  just  rendered  an  immense 
service  to  the  peace  of  the  world,  and  have  not  feared  to 
expose  myself  to  great  danger  in  order  to  show  the  man 
who  asked  this  service  of  me  how  devoted  I  was  to  him. 


204  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

Some  weeks  ago  I  chanced  to  be  at  a  watering-place 
where  the  great  German  Emperor  was  staying.     One 
morning  he  sent  for  me.     When  I  arrived  he  rose  hastily, 
came  toward  me  and,  stooping  imtil  his  face  was  almost 
on  a  level  with  mine,  he  said:     *I  have  a  great  service 
to  ask  of  you,  for  myself,  for  my  country  and  for  Europe. 
For  some  time  the  letters,  telegrams  and  reports  of  the 
Prince  have  troubled  me.     They  betray  the  anxiety  and 
irritation  of  a  man  in  a  very  nervous  state.     He  complains 
of  everybody.     He  has  grudges  against  Belgium,  Switzer- 
land, Holland,  France,  England  and  Russia.     He  speaks 
bitterly  of  all  these  countries  and  appears  to  suspect 
them  of  hostility  toward  us.     He  accuses  them  of  creat- 
ing   difficulties,   and,   with    the    exception    of    Austria- 
Hungary  and  Italy,  fancies  that  the  rest  of  Europe  is 
ready  to  pick  a  quarrell  with  us.     I  am  really  afraid  that 
one  of  these  fine  days  he  may  draw  down  upon  us  from 
some  of  these  countries  a  reply  which  might   place  us 
in  the  alternative  of  imposing  our  will  on  them  or  of  sub- 
mitting to  theirs.     In  my  opinion,  he  is  suffering  from 
one  of  those  attacks  of  pathologic  boredom  to  which  he 
is  subject,  and  which,  when  they  occur,  really  make  him 
alarming.     He   must  have   some   kind  of  diversion  as 
soon  as  possible.       He   is  alone    on    his"^  great    estate, 
spending    his    time    in    thinking    over    things,    and    he 
has    with    him    a   certain   number   of    subalterns    who 
always  agree  with  him  and  who  try  to  flatter  him  by 
approving  all  he  says  and  by  encouraging  his  exagger- 
ations.    I  asked  you  to  come  here,  not  to  order  you, 
but  to  beg  you  earnestly  to  do  something  which   will 
restore  to  me  the  repose  I  need  and  which  the  Prince's 
attitude  demands.' 


THE   REVENGE   OF  VENUS  205 

"  'Sire,'  I  replied  '  I  am  ready  to  do  whatever  Your 
Majesty  asks,  and  that  unhesitatingly.' 

"  '  I  thank  you,'  he  said,  '  and  I  shall  always  be  deeply 
grateful  to  you.  .  .  .  Return  home,  then,  without 
saying  you  have  seen  me.  Within  half  an  hour  I  shall 
send  for  your  husband  and  bid  him  go  to  Berlin  with 
a  message  from  me  and  wait  there  for  a  reply.  He  will 
start  this  afternoon  by  the  first  train.  Directly  afterward 
you  will  prepare  as  small  a  quantity  of  luggage  as  possible 
for  spending  a  week  away  from  home.  You  will  have 
that  luggage  taken  to  the  station,  where  a  man  who  will 
have  received  orders  will  arrange  for  its  ultimate  delivery 
without  being  registered.  This  same  person  will  meet 
you  at  a  neighbouring  station,  to  which  you  and  your 
maid  will  be  driven,  and  he  will  install  you  in  a  reserved 
compartment.  You  will  go  to  the  Prince,  and  on  the 
eve  of  your  return  you  will  send  off  a  telegram.  You 
will  then  come  back  here,  and  in  the  evening  your  husband 
will  return  from  his  mission.      Go,  and  accept  my  thanks. ' 

"Everything  occurred  exactly  as  arranged  by  the 
Emperor.  The  Prince,  whom  I  had  informed  of  my 
arrival  a  few  hours  beforehand,  received  me  rather 
impolitely.     His  first  words  were : 

"  '  Was  it  the  Emperor  who  sent  you  ?' 

"  *No,'  I  replied;  '  I  have  come  to  see  how  a  man  like 
you,  whose  will  dominates  that  of  Europe,  will  receive 
a  giddy  little  person  who  ventures  to  invade  the  lion's 
solitude.' 

"  He  burst  out  laughing,  gave  orders  for  me  to  be  shown 
to  my  apartments,  and  when  my  five  trunks  arrived  said 
to  me  gaily,  '  I  hope  from  your  baggage  that  it  is  not 
merely  a  short  visit  you  are  going  to  pay  me.' 


2o6  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"  'Oh !'  I  replied,  'with  all  the  frills  and  furbelows  I 
require,  five  trunks  are  not  enough  for  a  long  visit.' 
Thereupon,  gay  as  a  child,  he  insisted  upon  being  present 
at  the  unpacking,  and  was  immensely  amused  to  see  the 
dresses  and  things  I  had  hastily  flung  into  the  trunks 
taken  out  and  put  in  their  places. 

"  When  I  left,  he  conducted  me  to  my  landau  and  said, 
'  I  have  been  delighted  to  forget  the  affairs  of  the  world 
for  a  time,  and  I  shall  postpone  dealing  with  those  affairs 
as  long  as  possible.' 

"I  went  back  to  my  watering-place.  My  husband 
returned  on  the  same  evening.  Our  absence  had  aroused 
very  little  curiosity,  and  on  the  morrow  before  going 
away  I  paid  the  Emperor  a  farewell  visit. 

"The  great  monarch  received  me  with  extreme  joy. 
He  saw  that  everything  had  calmed  down;  that  peace 
seemed  established,  and  that  in  all  probability  the  year 
1883  would  pass  off  without  incident.  He  was  amused 
at  the  thought  of  the  stratagem  he  had  employed  and  the 
success  that  had  attended  it." 

During  this  narrative  I  felt  deeply  moved.  I  sat  there 
in  the  presence  of  a  beautiful  and  intelligent  woman 
who  had  just  accomplished  a  most  extraordinary  mission, 
considering  the  immense  power  of  those  whose  inter- 
mediary she  had  been.  And  to  think  that  this  great 
Emperor  had  concocted  his  scheme  merely  to  calm  the 
mind  of  a  Chancellor  to  whom  he  dared  not  openly 
dictate  his  will,  but  whom  a  few  years  later  a  single 
gesture  of  his  grandson  was  to  reduce  to  utter  impotence. 

While  the  Princess  was  speaking  I  said  to  myself:  "I 
see  what  is  about  to  take  place.  I  have  received  proof  of 
her  devoted  affection.     She  is  only  just  back,  as  it  were, 


THE  REVENGE   OF   VENUS  207 

from  her  visit  to  the  Prince,  to  whom  she  has  promised 
that  she  will  solve  a  mystery  which  has  irritated  him 
long  enough.  She  has  stopped  at  nothing  in  order  to 
have  the  right  to  ask  about  my  secret,  and  I,  for  my  part, 
can  scarcely  refuse  her,  since  she  has  confided  to  me  her 
secret,  the  divulgence  of  which  might  be  fatal  to  her. 
True,  she  made  me  swear  not  to  mention  it  during  the 
Emperor's  lifetime,  and  not  before  the  Prince  retired 
from  office.  But  even  in  this,  too,  she  showed  great 
confidence,  for  she  believes  in  my  promise,  so  that,  as 
in  reality  there  is  no  great  danger  in  letting  the  Prince 
know  how  I  got  hold  of  the  document,  and  as,  probably, 
he  will  be  quite  content  if  only  his  curiosity  be  satisfied, 
there  is  no  serious  reason  for  keeping  my  secret."  I 
accordingly  awaited  her  request  quite  prepared  to  grant  it. 

She  turned  to  me  and  said:  "Now  I  know  you  well 
enough  to  be  convinced  that  you  will  now  accede  to  my 
request,  which  you  have  hitherto  always  refused  to  do. 
I  need  not  employ  stratagem,  and  it  would  be  futile  in 
the  case  of  a  man  like  you.  Quite  simply  and  without 
any  circumlocution,  I  now  beg  you  to  prove  to  me  that 
I  can  count  on  you  as  an  absolute  friend.  Tell  me  how 
it  occurred,  and  how  you  were  able  to  accomplish  an  act 
until  then  unique — the  publication  of  a  treaty  of  a 
Congress  at  the  very  moment  of  its  signature." 

To  her  great  surprise  I  was  silent ! 

For  some  moments,  since  the  close  of  her  narrative, 
one  of  the  candles  of  the  candelabrum  on  the  table  in 
front  of  the  sofa  had  begun  to  flicker.  I  was  astonished 
at  this,  as  the  doors  and  windows  were  all  closed.  On 
looking  around  I  was  unable  to  guess  from  what  quarter 
the  current  of  air  came  which  caused  the  flame  to  flicker. 


2o8  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

I  moved  and  placed  myself  just  in  front  of  the  candela- 
brum, and  I  then  felt,  coming  from  the  direction  of  the 
mirror,  an  unmistakable  draught  which  fanned  my  cheek. 

I  perceived  at  once  that  I  was  the  victim  of  treachery, 
which  is  what  I  hate  above  all  else  in  the  world.  I 
closely  scrutinised  the  mirror  and  saw  that  a  slight  gap, 
which  had  been  made  only  during  the  last  few  instants, 
separated  the  two  halves  of  the  glass,  and  I  imderstood 
that  behind  it  there  was  a  witness  ready  to  take  down 
what  I  might  say.  Rising  suddenly,  and  in  a  voice 
which  I  vainly  strove  to  render  calm,  I  said,  pointing 
first  at  the  flickering  flame  and  then  at  the  cloven  mirror, 
just  when  the  Princess  was  putting  out  her  hand  to 
remove  the  candlestick: 

"Madame,  it  is  needless.  You  see  that  I  have  imder- 
stood." 

She  saw  that  distinctly  and,  turning  away  her  head,  she 
touched  an  electric  button.  The  door  opened,  a  servant 
appeared,  and,  without  looking  at  me,  she  stretched 
out  her  hand  and  indicated  the  way  to  the  door. 

This  story,  which  is  already  rather  long,  had  an  epilogue 
and  a  conclusion  which  are  not  tragic,  but  which  have  a 
certain  irony.  I  met  the  Princess  again  in  society. 
Her  mother  and  sister,  on  the  morrow  of  this  interview, 
intervened.  They  explained  that  she  had  been  obliged 
to  act  as  she  did  because  she  had  attached  so  much 
importance  to  her  success  that  it  was  absolutely  indis- 
pensable to  have  an  authoritative  witness  in  order  to 
prove  that  it  was  from  me  she  obtained  the  information 
as  to  the  treaty. 

When  I  met  the  Princess  afterward  we  were  no  longer 


THE   REVENGE   OF  VENUS  209 

on  such  friendly  terms  as  before,  but  our  intercourse 
was  quite  pleasant  after  the  temporary  rupture. 

Two  years  later  I  could  not  help  noticing  that  her 
manner  had  changed  as  well  as  her  language  and  sur- 
roundings. She  went  in  for  more  luxury,  even.  It 
seemed  to  me  disproportionate  with  her  means.  But 
as  I  was  then  a  comparative  stranger  to  her,  I  did  not 
trouble  myself  about  the  matter.  One  Sunday  I  received 
a  note  from  her  asking  me  to  call  at  six  o'clock.  I  went, 
and  she  then  told  me,  with  tears  of  despair  in  her  eyes, 
that  she  and  her  sister  had  allowed  themselves  to  be 
induced  to  speculate  enormously  in  Suez  Canal  stock; 
that  they  had  sold  large  quantities;  that  these  shares 
were  going  up,  and  that  if  this  rise  continued  for  many 
days  longer  they  would  be  ruined.  "And  yet,"  she 
said,  "it  is  a  purely  fictitious  rise.  These  shares  are  not 
worth  three-quarters  of  their  quoted  price,  and  it  would 
be  an  act  of  justice  to  enlighten  public  opinion  on  the 
point.  The  friend  who  unfortunately  and  quite  straight- 
forwardly led  us  into  this  frightful  speculation  has  sent 
me  a  report  which  I  have  here.  I  beg  you  to  read  it. 
You  will,  I  am  sure,  be  struck  by  its  conclusions  and  you 
would  assist  us  by  publishing  the  information  it  contains." 

I  was  extremely  embarrassed.  "  I  am  utterly  ignorant 
about  such  matters,"  I  said,  "but  since  you  say  this 
report  contains  truths  which  ought  to  be  known,  I  will 
read  it  and  send  it  to  competent  persons  who  will  see 
what  ought  to  be  done  with  it. " 

As  I  had  invited  some  people  to  dinner  at  my  house,  I 
took  the  report,  put  it  in  my  overcoat  pocket  and  returned 
home  at  once.  I  hung  up  my  overcoat  in  the  hall  and 
dressed  hastily.     My  guests  arrived  and  we  sat  down  to 


2IO  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

table.  Of  course,  I  had  not  had  time  to  look  at  the 
report.  While  I  was  at  dinner  a  telegram  was  handed 
me  and  I  asked  to  be  allowed  to  read  it.  It  was  signed 
by  Baron  Sartorius,  a  well-known  banker  and  speculator. 
The  telegram  was  as  follows; 

"  Monsieur,  I  am  sure  you  will  have  laughed  on  find- 
ing, in  the  report  handed  you  this  afternoon,  a  letter 
from  me  to  the  Princess,  but  I  know  you  are  a  man 
who  understands  things,  and  I  count  on  your  not  being 
offended." 

Immediately  after  dinner  I  went  to  get  the  report 
which  was  still  in  my  overcoat  pocket,  and  I  discovered 
with  it  the  following  letter  from  the  Baron : 

"Dear  Madame  la  Princesse:  Enclosed  is  the  report 
I  mentioned  to  you.  Sometimes  these  great  journalists 
are  delighted  to  have  their  work  done  for  them  and  to 
show  that  they  are  capable  on  all  subjects.  If  you 
succeed  in  getting  this  report  published  it  will  be  an 
immense  affair,  and  I  promise  you  that  those  sapphires 
and  diamonds  which  attract  you  so  often  to  the  Rue  de  la 
Paix  shall  be  yours," 

The  next  day  I  received  the  following  typewritten 
and  imsigned  lines: 

"I  have  again  been  defeated.  Really,  I  am  most 
unskilful  when  I  undertake  a  struggle  with  you.  But 
it  does  not  matter.  I  do  not  despair.  I  shall  finally 
have  my  revenge." 


THE  REVENGE   OF  VENUS  211 

A  year  later  I  was  present  at  a  costume  ball  given 
by  the  famous  bimetallist,  Henri  Cemuschi,  in  his 
beautiful  house  in  the  Pare  Monceau.  The  ball  was  a 
magnificent  one.  Toward  one  in  the  morning,  as  I 
crossed  a  drawing  room,  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with 
the  Princess,  She  wore  the  splendid  costume  of  an 
odalisk.  On  her  forehead,  round  her  neck  and  arms  and 
on  her  breast  gleamed,  with  an  incomparable  luster,  a 
superb  setting  of  sapphires  and  diamonds.  Behind 
her  walked  Baron  Sartorius  and  Baron  Hoftenhausen, 
two  great  financial  powers.  "Mon  Dieu,  Princess,"  I 
said  to  her;  "how  radiant  you  are,  and  what  magnificent 
jewellery ! " 

The  two  Barons  bowed  with  a  very  satisfied  air,  as  if 
the  compliment  had  been  for  them.  The  Princess,  turning 
to  me  with  a  haughty  smile,  said  in  a  slightly  ironic  voice : 

"You  see  now,  I  finish  up  by  having  my  revenge." 

"Yes,  madame,"  I  replied;  "I  see  you  have,  but  it  is 
neither  the  revenge  of  the  diplomatist  nor  of  the  finan- 
cier— it  is  the  revenge  of  Venus  ! " 


CHAPTER  XI 
A   Life   Struggle 

In  February,  1882  (for  it  was  during  the  years  immedi- 
ately following  the  Congress  of  Berlin  that  the  most 
mysterious  incident  in  my  career  took  place) ,  I  was  living 
in  the  Avenue  Marceau,  which  was  then  called  the  Avenue 
Josephine,  after  the  Empress,  but  with  the  advent  of  the 
republic  a  change  was  effected  in  its  name  and  sex. 
One  morning,  while  I  was  at  work  in  my  study,  my  servant 
announced  to  me  that  a  lady,  with  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  the  manager  of  the  Times,  wished  to  speak  to  me. 

The  manager  of  the  Times  was  then  Mr.  John  MacDon- 
ald,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  a  rigid  Protestant,  and  exceed- 
ingly simple  in  his  habits.  It  was  by  no  means  easy  for 
the  numerous  persons  who  naturally  besieged  a  man  in 
his  position  to  gain  access  to  him,  and  during  the  seven 
years  he  had  been  manager  of  the  paper,  as  successor  to 
Mr.  Mobray  Morice,  he  had  only  sent  me  one  letter  of 
introduction,  presenting  Mr.  George  Buckle,  who  was  on 
the  Times  staff,  and  who  became  editor-in-chief.  I 
realised  instantly,  therefore,  and  especially  on  learning 
that  my  visitor  was  a  lady,  that,  either  because  of  her 
own  merits  or  because  of  those  of  her  friends,  she  must 
be  a  person  of  importance — not  a  mere  nobody — ^whom 
I  was  bound  to  receive  with  consideration.  I  gave 
instructions  for  her  to  be  ushered  into  the  drawing-room, 

212 


A  LIFE   STRUGGLE  213 

as  my  writing-room  was  somewhat  encumbered,  and  I 
went  in  to  see  her. 

On  entering  the  room  I  found  her  seated  in  a  comer 
holding  in  her  hand  an  envelope  bearing  the  crest  of  the 
Times.  She  rose  and  handed  it  to  me.  Mr.  MacDonald's 
letter  was  closed,  for,  even  in  these  details,  English  and 
French  customs  differ.  In  France,  letters  of  introduction 
are  left  imsealed.  French  politeness  requires  that  the 
person  introduced  should  know  in  advance  the  terms  in 
which  he  is  presented.  In  England,  where  mere  for- 
malities have  less  importance  than  the  real  thing,  a 
letter  of  introduction  is  closed,  so  that  the  writer  may  be 
free  to  say  only  what  he  wishes, 

Mr.  MacDonald's  letter  introduced  to  me  Madame 
Georgine  Elou.  He  informed  me  that  he  did  not  give 
me  her  family  name,  as  she  desired  to  keep  it  secret.  He 
earnestly  insisted  that  I  should  do  all  in  my  power  to 
satisfy  the  "bearer  of  these  lines,"  her  cause  being  most 
interesting  and  one  to  the  success  of  which  he  would 
be  most  happy  to  contribute.  He  added  that  the  lady 
herself  would  give  me  verbally  all  the  information  I 
might  desire,  and  that,  in  obliging  her,  I  should  be  render- 
ing a  service  to  persons  dear  to  my  manager,  and  defend- 
ing a  cause  worthy  of  my  intervention. 

After  reading  the  letter  I  turned  toward  my  visitor 
and  asked  her  by  what  name  I  should  address  her.  She 
replied  that  I  must  call  her  Madame  Elou,  and  added  that 
she  had  something  confidential  to  ask  of  me.  I  begged 
her,  accordingly,  to  come  into  my  study,  and  she  rose  to 
follow  me.  I  was  then  able  to  examine  her  at  my  ease, 
and  I  was  struck  by  the  strangeness  of  her  appearance. 
Very  tall,  dressed  in  a  dark  gray  robe  of  very  light  material. 


214  MEMOIRS  OF  M.  de  BLOWITZ 

with  her  mantle  folded  under  her  left  arm,  her  figure 
seemed  to  be  extremely  elegant.  She  had  the  supple 
and  slender  grace  and  the  refined  vigour  of  a  huntress 
of  the  forest  or  the  mountain.  Her  well-gloved  hands 
looked  unmistakably  aristocratic.  Her  long  neck  was 
graceful  though  strong,  and  her  beautiful  head  well- 
poised.  Her  hair  was  dark  and  wavy,  with  a  fine  luster 
as  the  sun  shone  upon  it  through  the  window  of  the  room. 
She  had  strong,  intelligent,  dark-blue  eyes,  which  seemed 
darker  than  they  really  were,  under  the  shadow  of  her 
long  lashes.  Her  nose  was  faultless,  and  her  mouth, 
though  rather  large,  was  richly  coloured  when  she  smiled, 
and  displayed  dazzling  white  but  somewhat  large  teeth. 
Her  cheeks,  which  were  pale,  but  warm  and  full,  were 
slightly  elongated  toward  a  chin  the  girlish  and  artistic 
outline  of  which,  in  spite  of  its  strength,  gave  to  this 
strange  physiognomy  an  expression  of  infinite  sweetness — 
softening  and  pacifying,  as  it  were,  this  willful,  proud, 
imperious  but  saddened  feminine  face. 

I  was  deeply  impressed  by  her  rare  beauty,  and  by  the 
majestic  and  imposing  prestige  of  her  bearing,  and  by  an 
aristocratic  refinement  which  gave  her  a  sort  of  royal 
air,  so  that  it  v/as  not  without  embarrassment  that  I 
besought  her  to  tell  me  what  had  induced  her  to  wish  to 
see  me.  She  took  a  seat,  and,  in  a  voice  sonorous, 
tender  and  exceedingly  flexible,  but  easily  warming 
with  passion,  and  even  becoming  now  and  then  somewhat 
hoarse  and  rough,  she  said : 

"Ever  since  I  have  been  able  to  think  for  myself  and 
to  reflect  upon  my  own  feelings  and  emotions  I  have 
been  a  prey  to  the  strongest  contradictions.  I  am 
twenty-three  years  old,  and  for  ten  years  my  mind  and 


A  LIFE  STRUGGLE  215 

soul  have  been  troubled  and  tormented  by  ceaseless 
struggle.  I  have  abandoned  myself  to  the  most  ardent 
religious  faith,  given  myself  up  to  untiring  charity;  I 
have  dreamed  of  being  a  saint  among  saints,  and  have 
traversed  this  world,  my  eyes  ever  turned  toward  Heaven 
— yet  never  have  I  been  able  to  find  real  peace  of  mind, 
I  cannot  tell  you  now  how  far  I  have  gone,  nor  what 
means  I  have  adopted,  in  order  to  secure  that  peace  of 
soul  for  which  I  am  ever  longing  and  which  forever 
escapes  me.  I  have  remained  virtuous;  I  have  obeyed 
my  conscience,  and  imposed  silence  upon  my  heart.  I 
have  accepted  all  the  severities  that  have  been  ordered 
by  my  spiritual  advisers,  and  I  have  wept  bitterly  in  my 
efforts  to  chase  away  the  sorrows  which  are  undermining 
me.  I  fancied  I  had  found  refuge,  but  I  had  to  abandon 
it,  and  I  have  been  once  more  plunged  into  the  whirlpool 
of  life,  where  I  remain  incapable  of  discovering  the  path 
which  I  ought  to  follow. 

"In  all  this  world  there  is  but  one  being  whose  will 
could  calm  me,  the  sight  of  whom  could  have  an  effect 
upon  me,  whose  words  could  bend  my  will:  it  is  the 
Pope.  I  want  him  to  hear  me,  to  listen  to  me.  He  is 
the  shepherd  of  our  souls,  for  I  am  a  Catholic,  and  a 
Roman  Catholic.  He  is  the  Will  that  directs,  the  Force 
that  binds,  the  Reason'^that  guides,  the  Voice  that  speaks, 
and  what  I  ask  you,  for  I  know  you  can  do  it,  is  to  persuade 
him  to  receive  me,  to  hear  me,  to  heal  me. 

"  I  have  long  been  seeking  to  attain  this  end.  I  have 
made  inquiries  and  taken  advice;  and  finally,  those 
interested  in  me,  influential  persons  who  are  able  to 
realise  their  desires,  asked  Mr.  MacDonald  to  give  me 
a  letter  to  you,  a  letter  as  urgent  as  possible,  begging 


2i6  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

you  to  put  me  on  the  road  to  the  Vatican  and  to 
open  the  doors  behind  which  Leo  XIII.  listens 
patiently  to  those  who  need  the  infallible  consolations 
which  he  holds  in  reserve  for  suffering  souls  seeking 
the  path  of  salvation  and  peace.  I  cannot  tell  you  any 
more  at  present,  but  I  beg  you  to  do  all  that  you  can  so 
that  the  Holy  Father  may  in  his  boimtiful  indulgence 
grant  me  the  favour  I  implore  of  him. 

"  I  am  leaving  for  Rome  to-morrow.  I  do  not  ask  you 
to  give  me  a  letter  of  introduction,  as  that  might  be 
confounded,  in  spite  of  you,  with  thousands  of  such 
letters  addressed  to  the  Holy  Father. 

"What  I  do  ask  is  that  you  will  use  your  influence  in 
obtaining  for  me,  not  so  much  the  audience,  but  the  kind 
greeting  which  I  need.  From  Monday  next  I  will  go 
every  day  to  the  post-office  in  Rome  for  the  letter  in 
which  you  will  annoimce  to  me  either  the  failure  or 
success  of  your  efforts — the  letter  in  which  you  will 
either  tell  me  that  I  must  renounce  my  hopes  or  point 
out  the  course  I  must  take  in  order  to  realise  them." 

Without  waiting  for  an  answer,  she  handed  me  a  sheet 
of  paper  on  which  was  written  "Georgina  Elou,  Poste 
Restante,  Rome."  She  then  bowed,  and  with  her  figure 
proud  and  erect  and  her  head  slightly  bent  she  began  to 
move  in  the  direction  of  the  door. 

I  stopped  her  almost  imperiously,  for  I  felt  that  in 
quitting  me  thus,  in  leaving  without  waiting  for  my 
reply,  she  was  giving  me  a  sort  of  order. 

"Do  not  hurry  away,  madame,"  I  said,  "for  I  see  abso- 
lutely no  means  at  present  of  attaining  the  end  which 
you  have  in  view.  I  do  not  say  that  if  you  go  to  Rome 
you  will  find  no  way  of  being  received  by  the  Pope,  who 


A  LIFE  STRUGGLE  217 

has  a  prodigious  faculty  for  displaying  almost  super- 
human force,  but,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  cannot  give 
you  anything  but  a  letter  of  introduction,  and,  however 
pressing  it  may  be,  it  would  no  doubt  meet  the  usual 
fate  of  all  such  letters,  and  be,  I  fear,  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  you.  I  am  going  to  Rome,  though,  in  a  few 
weeks'  time.  Here  is  the  address  of  a  friend  of  mine  in 
the  Eternal  City.  You  might  call  there  and  ask  if  I  am 
expected,  and  in  case  you  have  not  already  succeeded 
in  your  enterprise  when  I  arrive,  call  to  see  me  and  I 
will  consider  what  can  be  done.  For  the  present,  madame, 
I  can  only  bid  you  Godspeed." 

She  remained  for  a  moment  perfectly  still,  a  prey,  as 
was  evident,  to  bitter  disappointment.  As  usual,  my 
influence  had  been  exaggerated.  She  had  fancied  that 
a  letter  from  me  would  suffice  to  banish  all  difficulties. 
She  thought,  also,  perhaps,  that  it  was  merely  my  own 
will  which  stood  in  the  way  of  the  immediate  realisation 
of  her  desire.  She  gazed  at  me  with  sad  eyes,  her  nostrils 
dilating,  and  her  imperious  lips  ready  to  express  what 
she  thought.  But  as  she  gazed  she  no  doubt  read  on  my 
face  an  expression  of  real  sincerity,  and  even  of  regret,  at 
my  own  impotence.  Instantly  her  face  softened.  The 
look  of  anger  disappeared  like  a  mask  lifted  by  an  in- 
visible hand.  Her  extremely  mobile  features  expressed 
painful  regret,  her  eyes  dropped  with  a  touching  expres- 
sion of  repentance  and  gratitude,  and  with  a  melancholy 
smile  she  said: 

"I  thank  you  very  much — very  much  indeed.  I  beg 
your  pardon  for  the  imjust  thought  which  you  saw  I  had. 
I  shall  go  to  Rome  and  I  will  do  all  that  I  can.  If  I 
succeed,  I  shall  not  trouble  you  during  your  visit  to  the 


2i8  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

Eternal  City.     If  I  do  not  succeed,  though,  I  shall  take 
advantage  of  your  offer  and  ask  you  to  receive  me." 

Whereupon,  with  queenly  grace,  she  bowed  again 
without  offering  her  hand,  and  I  escorted  her  to  the  hall 
door. 

A  few  days  later  I  called  on  Monseigneur  De  Rende, 
who  was  then  at  the  Nunciature  in  Paris  in  the  Avenue 
Bosquet.  My  visit  to  Rome  had  been  planned  some- 
time before,  but  I  did  not  care  to  go  thither  without 
being  sure  of  the  audience  upon  which  I  had  set  my 
heart.  I  knew  that  I  should  see  King  Humbert  and  the 
principal  members  of  his  Government.  But  I  did  not 
want  this  to  prevent  my  obtaining  from  Leo  XIII.  the 
kindly  reception  to  which  I  aspired. 

Monseigneur  De  Rende  had  for  some  time  been  occupied 
with  this  problem,  displaying  on  my  behalf  a  zeal  quite  as 
great  as  the  sympathy  which  he  always  showed  me.  He 
was  convinced,  too,  that,  in  preparing  my  visit  to  the 
Vatican,  he  would  be  serving  the  cause  which  he  was 
defending.  Monseigneur  De  Rende  had  succeeded  Mon- 
seigneur Czaski,  who  had  honoured  me  with  his  friend- 
ship, and  he  had  learned  from  his  predecessor  that  I  had 
certain  claims  to  his  own  good-will.  Monseigneur  De 
Rende,  who  had  only  held  this  office  a  very  short  time, 
had  hitherto  followed  the  policy  of  the  former  Nuncio — 
that  is  to  say,  instead  of  being  a  partisan  of  reactionary 
ideas  in  France,  he  had  become  the  sxponent,  to  the 
French  Government,  of  Leo  XIII.'s  liberal  policy. 

He  informed  me  that  he  had  every  reason  to  believe  he 
would  be  able  to  settle  the  question  of  my  journey  to 
Rome  in  a  way  agreeable  to  me,  and  he  annoimced  that 
in  all    probability  he  would  have  a  favourable  reply 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  219 

to  give  me  before  the  end  of  March,  so  that  I  might 
prepare  to  leave  Paris  toward  the  end  of  the  month. 
In  that  case,  I  should  arrive  in  Rome  in  the  early  days 
of  April. 

On  March  7  th  he  sent  for  me  and  gave  me  a  letter  for 
Cardinal  Jacobini,  with  whom  he  had  arranged  matters 
and  who  was  quite  prepared  to  receive  me. 

A  few  days  later  I  left  Paris  with  a  friend,  who  con- 
sented to  be  my  secretary,  and  I  reached  Rome  on  the 
4th  of  April,  1882. 

I  put  up  at  a  hotel  in  the  Corso,  where  rooms  had  been 
retained  for  me,  and  the  following  day  I  was  informed 
that  King  Humbert  would  receive  me  on  the  8th  of  April. 
On  the  sixth,  after  having  delivered  Monseigneur  De 
Rende's  letter.  Cardinal  Jacobini  informed  me  that  the 
Holy  Father  would  receive  me  on  April  loth,  at  noon, 
in  his  private  oratory.  On  that  same  day,  the  sixth,  my 
servant  told  me  that  the  lady  I  had  received  some  weeks 
before  in  Paris  was  in  the  small  waiting-room  leading 
out  of  my  salon,  and  that  she  wished  to  see  me. 

Madame  Elou  was  accordingly  shown  in.  She  was 
dressed  in  black,  and  her  face  was  very  sad.  She  had 
scarcely  taken  a  seat  when  she  burst  into  tears.  She 
told  me  that  all  she  had  done  had  proved  in  vain ;  that 
the  persons  to  whom  she  had  appealed  had  asked  her  to 
state  precisely  the  object  of  the  audience  which  she 
desired,  and  that  when  she  demurred  to  this  they  had, 
one  and  all,  refused  to  do  anything  for  her.  She  had 
then  appealed  to  Sir  Augustus  Paget,  but  he  had  observed 
to  her  that  he  was  accredited  to  the  Quirinal  and  could 
in  no  way  serve  her  at  the  Vatican.  Thereupon,  she 
had  come  to  me,  and  she  now  begged  me  to  intervene  and 


220  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

to  procure  for  her  a  favourable  reply,  which  I  alone  was 
in  a  position  to  obtain. 

She  had  written  to  Cardinal  Jacobini,  and  her 
letter,  which  was  somewhat  obscure,  had  remained 
imanswered.  She  had  not  ventured  to  write  to  the 
Pope  himself,  lest  the  letter  should  be  seen  by- 
Cardinal  Jacobini,  as  she  feared  his  relentless  opposition 
to  her  request. 

I  promised  her  I  would  do  what  I  could,  and  bade  her 
come  to  see  me  on  the  nth  of  April — that  is  to  say,  the 
day  after  my  audience  with  the   Pope. 

On  the  8th  of  April  I  had  an  interview  with  King 
Humbert,  which  lasted  the  lifetime  of  two  big  cigars. 
On  the  loth,  at  noon,  I  found  myself  in  the  anteroom, 
waiting  to  be  introduced  into  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Father. 

Twenty  minutes  later  I  entered  Leo  XHI.'s  private 
oratory.  I  had  not  enquired  as  to  the  ceremonial  to 
follow.  It  was  only  when  I  perceived  the  Holy  Father 
that  I  began  to  wonder  what  I  ought  to  do.  The  Pope, 
however,  did  not  leave  me  time  to  hesitate.  With  the 
most  touching  affability,  as  soon  as  I  advanced  toward 
him,  he  rose,  and  as  he  took  a  step  forward  he  held  out 
his  hand  to  me.     I  bent  over  it  with  respectful  emotion. 

Leo  XIII.  appeared  to  me  most  imposing.  His  tall, 
slight,  elegant  figure,  clothed  entirely  in  white,  stood  out 
with  natural  majesty  against  the  simple  and  solemn 
framework  of  his  oratory,  in  which  a  rather  ornate  altar 
was  the  most  conspicuous  object. 

He  took  an  armchair  which  stood  in  front  of  the  altar 
and  made  a  sign  to  me  to  occupy  another  one  near  him. 
As  soon  as  the  Holy  Father  was  seated,  I  sat  down  and 


A  LIFE   STRUGGLE  221 

the  conversation  commenced.  The  Pope  spoke  some- 
times in  French,  sometimes  in  ItaHan,  but  always  rapidly 
and  in  a  sonorous  voice.  He  often  remained  motionless, 
but  at  certain  moments  he  would  half  rise  from  his  chair 
in  an  impetuous  way  when  he  felt  anything  deeply — 
and  all  this  added  to  the  impression  he  made  on  me. 

In  the  robe  of  white  woolen  material,  which  clothed 
him  like  a  shroud,  he  seemed  like  a  voluntary  cap- 
tive who  had  sacrificed  the  incomparable  joy  of  liberty 
for  the  sake  of  defending  the  rights  committed  to 
his  care. 

During  the  long  hour  I  spent  with  him  I  noticed  that 
his  clear,  melancholy  eyes  were  presently  fixed  with 
painful  intensity  on  the  City  of  Rome,  on  the  high  hills 
that  surround  it,  on  the  Quirinal  which  faces  the  Vatican, 
and  on  that  splendid  landscape  which  he  could  only  par- 
tially see  through  the  bars  that  he  had  voluntarily 
forged  to  his  prison. 

I  regret  that  I  may  not  write  all  that  the  Holy  Father 
said  to  me,  but  a  solemn  promise  which  I  made  has  sealed 
my  lips  forever  with  regard  to  this  interview.  But 
without  breaking  my  word,  I  think  I  may  say  that 
toward  the  end  of  the  conversation,  recalling  my  promise 
to  Elou,  I  submitted  the  ardent  prayer  of  my  protege 
to  the  Universal  Father  of  Catholics. 

I  had  scarcely  broached  the  subject  when  he  inter- 
rupted me :  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  know,  without  possessing 
definite  details,  the  case  of  the  person  of  whom  you 
speak.  One  of  my  bishops  of  Great  Britain  has  spoken 
of  her  to  me.  I  did  not  expect  that  you  would  mention 
her,  but  since  you  have  done  so,  introduce  her  to  the 
Cardinal,  and  tell  him  from  me  to  arrange  with  her  the 


22  2  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

day  when  I  can  receive  her,  and  to  submit  this  arrange- 
ment for  my  approval." 

I  then  thanked  His  Holiness  warmly,  as  I  left  him  after 
receiving  his  final  benediction. 

On  the  following  day  Elou  came  to  see  me.  This  time 
she  offered  me  her  delicate,  aristocratic  hand,  which  was 
hot  and  feverish.     She  then  threw  herself  at  my  feet. 

"If  it  be  a  refusal  which  you  bring  me,  prepare  my 
reason  to  receive  the  blow.  If  it  be  the  realisation  of 
my  hopes,  my  blessing  is  yours  in  advance  for  the  good 
you  will  do  me.  During  the  last  few  days  I  have  been 
troubled  with  insomnia  or  frightful  dreams.  Every 
mortal  enemy  of  the  peace  of  human  beings  seems  to 
have  laid  siege  to  my  soul  and  to  have  inflicted  upon  it 
tortures  for  which  there  is  no  name." 

"  The  Pope  will  receive  you,"  I  said  to  her  in  a  reassur- 
ing tone. 

I  thought  for  an  instant  that  she  was  going  to  faint. 
Then  with  a  cry  of  joy  which  I  shall  never  forget,  she 
clasped  her  hands  and  burst  into  tears,  exclaiming : 

"Blessed  be  God,  My  Saviour  and  my  Angel,  who 
protects  me  ! " 

She  was  as  one  transfigured.  A  supernatural  calm  then 
took  possession  of  her,  and  there  was  something  divine 
about  her  beauty,  from  which  a  certain  grandeur  and 
solemnity  emanated,  changing  the  very  atmosphere  of 
the  commonplace  hotel  drawing-room. 

Two  days  later  I  conducted  her  into  the  presence  of 
Cardinal  Jacobini.  We  went  up  that  straight,  intermi- 
nable staircase  which  leads  to  the  top  floor  on  which  is 
the  Cardinal's  study.  The  Under-Secretary  of  State  had 
received    the    Holy    Father's    orders.     He    listened    to 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  223 

Elou  with  paternal  kindness,  mingled  with  a  sort  of 
tender,  indulgent  pity.  He  arranged  with  her  the  day 
when  she  was  to  be  received  by  the  Pope,  and  was  about 
to  continue  the  conversation,  when  the  door  of  his  study 
was  suddenly  pushed  open,  and  I  beheld  in  the  ray  of 
penetrating  sunlight  a  priest  of  imposing  aspect  dressed 
in  ecclesiastical  robes  cut  out  of  some  heavy,  silky 
material  the  stiff  folds  of  which  fell  in  long,  impressive 
lines.  The  newcomer  had  dark  hair  and  a  powerful 
forehead,  which  sheltered  deep,  somber-looking  eyes, 
almost  hard  in  expression,  but  which  seemed  to  light  up 
his  whole  face.  It  was  a  sudden  and  unexpected  vision 
of  incontestable  beauty. 

The  Cardinal  rose  with  eager  deference,  introduced 
me,  and  gave  the  name  of  Cardinal  Ledochowski,  Elou 
fell  on  her  knees,  almost  in  front  of  the  Cardinal,  whose 
pastoral  ring  she  kissed  timidly,  and  we  then  went  out 
together.  She  enlarged  on  the  impression  made  upon 
her  by  Cardinal  Ledochow^ski,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
her  sympathies  and  admiration  were  much  more  directed 
toward  the  dignified  priest  than  toward  the  amiable 
Cardinal  Jacobini,  who  had  been  so  gracious  and  kind, 
and  whose  sympathetic  but  unimposing  manner  in  no 
way  corresponded  to  the  ecclesiastical  ideal  of  Elou's 
imagination. 

She  had,  however,  attained  her  end.  Her  joy  was 
immense,  almost  overwhelming.  She  was  to  be  received 
by  the  Holy  Father  within  a  few  days.  She  entered 
St.  Peter's  to  pray.  My  own  mission  was  accomplished 
and  I  bade  her  good-by,  as  I  was  leaving  Rome  for 
Naples. 

I  never  expected  to  see  her  again. 


224  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

A  few  weeks  after  my  return  to  Paris,  when  the  memory 
of  Elou  was  beginning  to  fade  out  of  my  mind,  I  received 
the  following  letter  from  her : 

"  I  have  had  the  great  joy  of  being  received  by  the 
Holy  Father,  and  the  mere  sight  of  him  sufficed  to  give 
me  such  peace  of  mind  and  such  calm  as  I  had  not  known 
for  a  long  time.  I  explained  to  His  Holiness  the  cause 
of  my  sullering,  which  he  appeared  to  have  some  idea 
of.  After  what  has  taken  place  I  feel  obliged  to 
tell  you  the  object  of  my  journey,  the  nature  of  my 
struggle,  my  hopes  and  my  disappointments.  You 
had  the  delicacy  never  to  ask  me  what  my  object  was 
and  why  I  wished  to  go  to  Rome;  and  it  is  of  my  own 
free  will  that  I  tell  you  now,  for  you  must  be  informed 
in  order  to  help  me.  Ever  since  my  childhood  I  have 
been  troubled  with  strange  contradictions.  I  will  not 
prolong  my  story  by  telling  you  about  my  early  years. 
When  I  arrived  at  the  age  of  discretion  a  struggle  began 
in  my  soul  between  the  highest  good  and  the  greatest 
evil;  and  I  have  been  obHged  to  combat,  with  the  same 
ardour,  the  invasion  of  evil  when  I  was  doing  what  was 
right,  as  the  empire  of  good  when  I  felt  drawn  into  sin. 
When  I  was  twenty,  in  order  to  escape  from  this  battle, 
I  entered  a  convent,  where  the  rigid  discipline  is  a  constant 
protection  against  human  temptations.  I  remained  there 
two  years,  and  was  about  to  take  definite  vows  when 
an  act  of  starthng  revolt  caused  the  Superior  to  send  me 
away  from  the  convent,  I  was  in  such  despair  that  later 
on  she  took  me  back,  but  once  again,  just  as  I  was  to 
take  the  vow,  my  spirit  of  insubordination  induced 
another  outburst,  which  frightened  the  entire  Order,  and 
I  was  once  more  expelled.  Ever  since  then  my  soul 
has  constantly  been  tempted.  I  am  haunted  by  ideas 
of  the  greatest  crimes,  and  I  perceive  clearly  that  my 
salvation  or  my  destruction  depends  upon  a  final  effort 
which  will  restore  me  to  God  or  condemn  me  to  hell. 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  225 

Hence  my  visit  to  the  Holy  Father.  I  came  to  ask 
him  to  insist  upon  the  Superiors  of  my  Order  making 
a  final  effort  to  wrest  my  soul  definitely  from  the  haunting 
powers  which  torture  and  besiege  it.  The  Holy  Father 
had  pity  on  me.  He  said  that  he  would  do  what  he 
could.  He  has  done  so,  and  I  have  just  been  informed 
that  he  expressed  to  the  Superiors  his  ardent  desire  to 
see  me  enter  the  convent  again.  The  reply  was  that 
I  had  already  made  two  attempts  and  that  it  was  utterly 
futile  and  impossible  to  allow  me  a  third.  And  the  Holy 
Father  thereupon  sent  me  word  that  his  authority  does 
not  exceed  the  expression  of  a  wish,  and  that  he  neither 
has  the  power,  the  right  nor  the  will  to  command,  I  am 
told  that  there  are  exceptions  to  this  rule,  and  that  if  an 
English  Ambassador  were  to  ask  the  Holy  Father  to  do 
this  for  him  as  a  personal  favour  he  would  not  be  refused. 
Now,  as  you  have  shown  me  so  much  kindness,  I  venture 
to  ask  you  to  obtain  the  intercession  of  the  British 
Ambassador  in  Paris,  who  is  a  friend  of  yours.  Have 
mercy  on  me.  Take  pity  on  my  soul,  which  otherwise 
is  irremediably  lost." 

This  letter  both  affected  me  deeply  and  annoyed  me. 
I  had  obtained  for  Elou  all  that  was  humanly  possible, 
and  I  began  to  look  upon  her  as  having  a  soul  beyond  all 
cure,  haunted  by  visions  to  which  she  dared  not  confess. 
Hence,  after  long  reflection,  I  replied  as  follows: 

"Madame:  I  am  very  grateful  to  the  Holy  Father  for 
the  kindness  he  has  shown  you  and  the  signal  favour 
manifested  in  taking  into  account  your  painful  situation 
and  in  intervening  for  you  with  your  Superiors.  But  I 
cannot  possibly  join  you  in  insisting  further  with  him; 
and  the  energetic,  I  will  even  add,  almost  indomitable, 
persistency  which  you  employ  in  striving  by  main  force 
to  open  sacred  doors  that  have  been  closed  to  you  proves 


226  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

to  me  that  your  Superiors  and  the  Pope,  better  informed 
as  to  your  character,  know  you  more  thoroughly  than 
you  know  yourself,  and  that  the  refusal  opposed  to  your 
perseverance  is  the  just  and  logical  consequence  of  your 
Superiors'  acquaintance  with  you.  Endeavour  to  master 
yourself  in  the  world  outside  convent  walls.  Make 
your  novitiate  all  alone  there,  proving  that  you  deserve 
other  treatment  and  that  you  have  within  yourself 
the  energy  and  spirit  of  submission  requisite  for  that  life." 

A  single  line  was  the  reply  to  this  letter : 

"  My  soul  is  irremediably  lost." 

•  •••••• 

In  the  summer  of  1881  I  paid  a  visit  to  an  old  friend 
who  was  living  at  Petites  Dalles,  on  the  Normandy  coast. 
I  was  struck  by  the  picturesqueness  of  this  little  port 
when  seen  from  the  coast  of  St.  Martin.  It  is  one  of 
those  poetical  landscapes  which  one  sees  on  the  Riviera, 
along  the  Comiche,  between  Nice  and  San  Remo,  My 
friend,  to  whom  I  expressed  my  admiration  of  the  view, 
said  to  me : 

"  Why  do  you  not  build  here  a  temporary  refuge  where 
you  may  find  repose  amid  the  ceaseless  agitation  of 
your  existence?" 

We  were  promenading  at  the  time  in  the  single  street 
of  the  village  which  leads  from  the  valley  to  the  beach. 
I  looked  up  at  the  cliff  on  my  left  and  said  to  my  friend : 

"  If  I  can  buy  that  little  plateau  there  on  the  edge  of 
the  cliff,  with  the  clump  of  beeches  behind  it,  I  will  do 
so,  and  build  a  house  there  for  my  old  days." 

My  friend  was  delighted  at  the  idea,  and  as  I  was 
leaving  that  very  evening,  he  promised  to  investigate 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  227 

the  matter  for  me.  Forty-eight  hours  had  not  elapsed 
since  my  return  to  Paris  when  I  heard  from  him  that 
the  owner  accepted  my  price  and  that  the  bargain  was 
concluded. 

In  1883  my  little  chalet,  called  by  the  peasants  ''  Les 
Lampottes"  because  of  the  two  small  towers  in  the 
fagade,  was  finished.  I  had  only  to  settle  down  there. 
But  between  the  two  little  towers,  or  lampottes,  there 
was  a  large  empty  space  imder  the  sharp  angle  of  the 
roof.  I  ought  to  say  that  this  facade  has  obtained  a 
great  reputation  among  architects,  and  that  not  a  season 
goes  by  without  some  of  them  visiting  it,  as  they  consider 
it  the  true  Norman  type.  But  I  repeat  that  the  angle 
between  the  lampottes  and  the  summit  of  the  roof  was 
then  empty,  and  this  formed  a  gap  which  I  was  most 
anxious  to  see  filled  up.  One  afternoon,  at  Rouen,  in 
the  courtyard  of  a  dealer  in  antiquities,  I  was  struck 
by  the  artistic  beauty  of  a  statue  of  the  Virgin  with  the 
Child  Jesus  in  her  arms.  The  statue  had  been  carved 
out  of  one  immense  half  of  the  bole  of  an  oak.  I  took 
the  measurements  of  it,  and,  as  I  had  in  my  pocket  the 
plan  of  my  country  house,  I  noticed  that  this  statue, 
including  its  pedestal,  would  exactly  fit  into  the  empty 
space  of  my  Norman  fagade.  The  next  day  I  asked  the 
antiquary  to  sell  it  to  me. 

"Oh  !"  said  he,  "this  is  a  statue  of  which  I  am  very 
fond,  for  its  harmony  rests  the  eye,  but  I  will  gladly  sell 
it  to  you.  I  bought  it  at  the  demolition  of  a  nunnery, 
which  was  pulled  down  on  the  plea  of  public  utility,  but 
ever  since  I  have  had  it  it  has  taken  away  my  peace  of 
mind.  It  always  seems  to  me  that  all  kinds  of  faint 
sounds  are  buzzing  about  it  at  night.      Besides,  I  cannot 


228  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

succeed  in  keeping  it  reciunbent,  and  when  upright  it 
annoys  me.  A  dozen  times  I  have  laid  it  on  the  ground, 
but  the  next  day  I  have  found  it  upright  without  being 
able  to  explain  how  or  why,  and  my  wife,  frightened 
by  this  phenomenon,  begs  me  to  get  rid  of  it." 

"Very  well, "  I  said  with  a  smile ;  "  as  I  want  to  place 
her  upright  against  a  wall,  she  won't  wish  to  change 
her  position." 

I  had  the  Virgin  transported  in  a  hay-cart  from  Rouen, 
and  a  week  later  the  fisher  peasants  of  Petites  Dalles, 
in  their  playful  way,  had  baptised  my  little  chateau 
Notre  Dame  des  Lampottes. 

In  1887,  about  the  beginning  of  August,  as  I  was 
seated  on  the  terrace  of  the  chalet,  in  the  silence  of  the 
countryside  which  was  only  broken  by  the  regular  motion 
of  the  sea  under  the  cliff,  a  peasant  from  the  village 
approached  and,  lifting  his  hat,  said  to  me : 

"There  is  a  lady  at  the  foot  of  the  path  who  begs  you 
to  come  down  to  see  her,  for  she  is  here  only  for  a 
short  time  and  cannot  come  up." 

I  immediately  put  on  my  hat,  and,  taking  a  stick,  I 
descended  to  the  road,  where  my  imknown  visitor  was 
waiting  for  me.  As  I  approached  the  open  carriage 
drawn  up  under  the  ample  shadow  of  a  huge  tree,  I  uttered 
a  cry  of  surprise.  It  was  Elou.  Her  face  was  pale  and 
worn,  but  her  eyes  burned  with  a  feverish  light.  She  wore 
an  extremely  elegant  travelHng  dress  and  an  immense 
hat  adorned  with  brilliant,  black  ostrich  feathers.  On 
seeing  me  she  uttered  a  sort  of  suppressed,  hoarse  cry, 
but  her  movement  was  one  of  joy  when  she  explained 
her  delight  at  having  found  me  again.  I  drew  near  and 
greeted  her. 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  229 

"How  is  it  you  are  here?"  I  asked.  "And  why  did  you 
not  come  up  to  my  door  ?" 

"I  am  here  because  I  was  told  to  come  to  you,"  she 
replied.  "I  did  not  go  to  the  house  because  I  perceived, 
from  a  distance,  on  your  fagade  a  statue  which  at  the 
nunnery  was  known  as  the  'rigid  Virgin.'  I  have  so 
often  knelt  before  her,  bowing  my  head  to  the  very  dust 
at  her  feet,  that  I  do  not  care  to  enter  a  house  over  which 
she  seems  to  watch." 

"Oh,  I  entreat  you,"  I  said,  "come  up  to  the  chalet. 
We  will  take  the  other  path,  if  the  sight  of  the  'rigid 
Virgin'  impresses  you  so  deeply.  You  might  stay  several 
days  here  and  the  quiet  of  my  home  will  bring  you  peace," 

"Never,  never !  She  has  made  me  suffer  too  much. 
She  has  been  too  inflexible.  She  hates  me.  I  will  not 
sleep  under  the  same  roof  with  her." 

I  was  filled  with  an  immense  pity.  I  felt  that  I  was  in 
the  presence  of  a  being  utterly  possessed  by  an  incurable 
ill.  The  poor  woman's  reason  had  given  way,  and  she 
was  haunted  by  visions  and  fancies  which  baffled  all 
logic  and  will-power, 

"But  why  did  you  come  up  here  ?"  I  asked. 

"Because  I  was  directed  to  go  to  Eletot  with  you  so 
that  you  might  be  a  witness  of  the  meeting  which  is  to 
take  place  there.  I  beseech  you  to  get  into  the  carriage 
with  me  and  to  take  me  there,  for  I  do  not  know  the  road." 

It  is  an  hour's  drive  from  Les  Petites  Dalles  to  Eletot. 
The  road  passes  by  Sassetot,  leaving  on  one  side  Les 
Grandes  Dalles,  the  shady  villas  of  which  one  sees  right 
along  the  coast.  The  village  of  Saint-Pierre-en-Port  is 
passed,  and  from  thence,  by  a  road  which  is  to-day  an 
exquisite  avenue  shaded  by  great  trees,  where  the  air  is 


2  30  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

balmy  and  delicious,  one  reaches  Eletot.  On  the  way 
Elou  told  me  of  her  despair  on  receiving  my  letter,  because 
she  knew  that  she  would  never  succeed  in  inducing  the 
Superiors  to  grant  her  a  new  trial.  She  told  me  of  the 
nights  she  had  tried  to  spend  in  prayer,  in  search  of  what 
she  called  her  peace  of  mind,  of  the  futility  of  her  efforts  to 
escape  the  visions  that  haunted  her  vigils  and  her  sleep. 
She  declared  that  during  the  night  she  received  orders 
which  she  had  tried  to  resist,  but  which  she  finally  obeyed, 
for  she  no  longer  had  any  hope  of  escaping  from  them  by 
entering  a  convent.  She  assured  me  that  she  was  at 
present  carrying  out  the  latest  order  she  had  received; 
that  she  had  just  returned  from  Scotland,  where  she  had 
left  the  last  refuge  in  which  she  had  thought  to  recover 
her  peace  of  soul ;  that  she  was  bound  to  go  to  Ektot,  and 
that  she  had  been  equally  obliged  to  beg  me  to  accom- 
pany her  thither. 

"Do  you  remember,"  she  said,  "that,  when  we  went 
to  see  Cardinal  Jacobini,  a  man  of  imposing  appearance 
entered.  It  was  Ledochowski,  and  it  is  he  who  has 
done  me  the  greatest  harm  which  I  have  ever  experienced 
in  all  my  life.  He  appeared  to  me  first  as  an  archangel 
who  would  heal  all  my  woimds.  I  have  seen  him  since 
and  told  him  all  my  tortures,  entreating  him  to  be  my 
confessor.  My  admiration  for  him  appeared  to  irritate 
him ;  he  refused  to  become  my  spiritual  adviser,  and  one 
day  when  I  insisted  that  he  should  protect  me  against 
myself,  he  rose  suddenly,  extending  his  hand,  and  showed 
me  the  door,  exclaiming : 

"  'Away,  away,  cursed  woman,  for  when  you  cross  my 
threshold  you  fill  my  soul  with  the  terror  of  everlasting 
ptmishment ! ' 


A   LIFE   STRUGGLE  231 

"I  quitted  him,  and  since  then  I  have  felt  that  I  was 
abandoned  by  Heaven  and  destined  to  irremediable 
destruction." 

We  reached  Eletot,  a  little  village  not  far  from  the 
sea,  separated  from  the  waters  of  the  channel  by  a  great 
plain  behind  the  little  Roman  church  of  the  style  so  often 
seen  along  the  coast.  We  left  the  carriage  at  the  entrance 
of  the  village.  I  had  very  rarely  been  there  and  had 
never  stopped  in  the  place,  but  Elou  seemed  to  know  it 
perfectly  well.  She  took  the  path  behind  the  church 
which  leads  to  the  plain  by  the  sea.  She  crossed  the 
com  and  wheat-fields  at  the  edge  of  the  plain.  For  a 
few  moments  she  gazed  at  the  steeple  of  St.  Pierre-en- 
Port  which  emerged  on  the  right  from  the  verdure  of  the 
hills.  She  shook  her  head  and,  turning,  while  she  gazed 
upon  the  sea,  with  her  arms  stretched  out,  exclaimed : 

"Yes,  I  know  where  I  am — this  is  the  spot.  It  is  here 
I  am  to  find  him  of  whom  I  am  in  search  and  who  is  in 
search  of  me.     Ah,  yes,  it  is  here ;  I  am  going  to  him !" 

"Thank  you,  thank  you,"  she  added.  "You  have 
guided  me  to  him,  and  it  means  rest !  " 

Then  with  her  arms  outstretched  and  her  figure  magni- 
fied, as  it  were,  by  a  superhuman  effort,  she  dashed 
forward  across  the  plain.  At  the  edge  of  the  steep  cliff, 
high  over  the  sea,  the  plain  had  broken  off  abruptly,  and 
thus  it  is  that  this  marvellous  expanse  of  water  has 
never  been  utilised,  and  that  the  point,  where  this  plain 
and  the  sea  meet,  appears  to  be  haunted  by  a  spirit 
of  solitude  and  aridity. 

Elou  had  rushed  with  extraordinary  speed  toward  the 
east  side  of  the  plain,  where  stakes  and  wire  fencing  have 
been  fixed  to  prevent  people  from  falling  into  the  sea,  for 


232  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

when  the  tide  rises  the  waters  bathe  the  base  of  the  cliff. 
Before  I  had  recovered  from  my  surprise  Elou  was  some 
six  hundred  feet  ahead  of  me.  So  rapidly  had  she  run 
along  that  the  breeze  had  detached  one  after  another 
from  her  hat-brim  the  great,  black  ostrich  feathers, 
and  as  she  bounded  on  with  outstretched  arms  her 
skirts  floated  about  her  like  wings,  while  the  feathers 
of  her  hat,  borne  up  by  the  wind,  emphasised  strangely 
the  madness  of  her  flight.  I  tried  to  overtake  her, 
but  it  was  all  in  vain.  I  had  not  gained  half  the 
distance  when  I  saw  that  she  had  reached  the  edge 
of  the  cliff.  For  a  moment  she  stopped,  looked 
all  about  her,  uttered  a  terrible  cry  of  anger  and 
despair,  and  as  quick  as  a  flash  sprang  over  the 
wire  paling  which  protects  the  passers-by  from  falling 
into  the  sea. 

Breathless  I  reached  the  spot  and  gazed  all  around. 
I  passed  beyond  the  circle  protected  by  the  wire  hedge 
and  watched  the  waves  that  rose  and  fell  gently  under 
my  feet.  I  could  see  nothing  whatever  of  Elou. 
The  surface  of  the  sea  wore  its  habitual  aspect.  Merely 
the  ostrich  feathers,  borne  up  on  the  wind,  flitted  across 
the  great  expanse  as  if  drawn  outward  and  downward 
to  the  sea.  Two  men  strolling  along  by  the  wire  fence 
came  up  to  me. 

"You  are  looking  for  something?"  they  asked. 

"Yes,"  I  replied.  "It  seems  to  me  that  on  the  edge 
of  the  cliff,  outside  the  wire  fence,  I  saw  a  person  with 
outstretched  arms.     Did  you  notice  anything  ?" 

The  two  men  looked  at  each  other. 

"We  have  seen  nothing,"  they  replied,  "yet  we  have 
been  near  all  the  time." 


LES  I.AMPOTTES 
M.  dc  Hlowilz's  country  lujuse  in  Normandy 


f 


A  LIFE   STRUGGLE  233 

We  all  three  gazed  at  the  sea.  The  two  men  went 
their  way ;  I  lingered  on  for  a  long  time  on  the  edge  of  the 
cliff.  I  called  out,  but  no  voice  answered  mine,  and  my 
search  was  all  in  vain.  And  never  since,  in  spite  of  my 
investigations  and  of  my  despairing  researches,  never 
since,  either  dead  or  alive,  have  I  been  able  to  discover 
the  slightest  trace  that  was  capable  of  explaining  to  me 
either  the  enigma  of  her  life  or  the  mystery  of  her  death. 


CHAPTER  XII 
Why  France  Did  Not  Go  to  Egypt 

It  is  a  strange  fact,  but  it  has  often  been  observed 
that  the  most  serious  events  owe  their  origin  to  very 
small  causes.  But  it  is  far  more  strange,  and  the  story, 
I  believe,  has  never  yet  been  told,  that  the  Egyptian 
question,  which  for  twenty  years  has  been  affecting  the 
pleasant  relations  between  England  and  France,  which 
at  a  certain  moment  brought  them  within  a  hair's- 
breadth  of  war,  and  which  for  a  long  time  yet  will  loom 
in  the  international  horizon  like  some  evil  phantom  of 
discord,  was  occasioned  by  an  accident  of  the  smallest 
importance.  If  France  did  not  go  with  England  to 
Egypt,  it  was  merely  on  account  of  a  certain  portfolio. 
The  following  is  the  history  of  the  affair : 

The  7th  of  November,  1881,  the  day  on  which  the 
Gambetta  Cabinet  was  formed  in  Paris,  fell  on  a  Monday. 
On  Saturday,  November  12th,  I  went  to  see  M.  de 
Freycinet  to  ask  him  whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the 
report  that  he  had  refused  to  enter  into  M.  Gambetta's 
combination  and  become  a  member  of  his  Cabinet. 

"People  say,"  I  told  him,  "that  you  have  refused  to 
enter  into  this  combination  because  you  wished  to  lessen 
the  importance  of  it  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  and  because 
your  refusal  to  associate  yourself  with  it  would,  you 
thought,  prevent  it  from  becoming  the  '  Great  Ministry/ 

234 


WHY  FRANCE  DID  NOT  GO  TO  EGYPT      235 

as    every   one    was   prepared  beforehand  to   style   the 
Gambetta  Cabinet." 

"That  is  absolutely  inexact,"  replied  M.  de  Freycinet. 
"I  did  not  refuse  to  enter  the  combination.  It  is  just 
the  reverse,  for  I  accepted  a  long  time  ago  the  offer 
M.  Gambetta  made  me.  What  I  did  refuse  was  to  accept 
the  portfolio  which  M.  Gambetta  has  just  tendered  me 
under  very  singular  circumstances,  which  I  will  explain 
to  you.  There  had  been  an  imderstanding  for  a  long 
time  past  between  M.  Gambetta  and  myself  that,  when 
he  should  be  called  upon  to  form  a  Cabinet,  and  there 
seemed  every  likelihood  of  that  coming  to  pass,  I  should, 
in  that  Cabinet,  be  appointed  Minister  of  War.  I  had 
said  to  him:  'I  want  that  appointment  because  it  is,  I 
may  say,  absolutely  necessary  to  me.  My  adversaries 
have  so  often  accused  me  of  having  by  my  presumption 
and  incompetence  organised  the  defeat  in  the  second 
part  of  the  war  of  1870,  that,  in  defense  of  my  honour 
and  of  my  patriotism,  it  is  indispensable  that  I  should  be 
able  to  prove  that  I  am  capable  of  directing  the  War 
Office.  I  must,  therefore,  ask  you,  when  forming  your 
Cabinet,  to  give  me  this  appointment,  as  the  manner 
in  which  I  fill  it  will  afford  me  an  opportunity  of 
refuting  all  the  slanderous  accusations  of  which  I  have 
been  the  victim,  and  of  rehabilitating  myself  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.' 

"M.  Gambetta  understood  my  persistency,  approved 
of  my  reasons,  and  promised  to  satisfy  my  demands  on 
this  point. 

"  It  was  just  then  that  I  heard  of  the  mission  entrusted 
to  M.  Gambetta  to  form  his  Ministry,  and  I  held  myself 
in  readiness  to  join  it  as  Minister  of  War.     But  yesterday 


236  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

evening,  Friday,  at  six  o'clock,  M.  Gambetta  entered 
my  house  like  a  whirlwind.  He  explained  to  me  that 
he  was  in  a  desperate  hurry ;  that  he  was  on  his  round  to 
see  all  his  collaborators,  and  had  come  to  tell  me  that  I 
should  join  his  Cabinet  as — Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
Without  giving  me  time  to  answer,  without  even  telling 
me  the  names  of  my  future  colleagues  in  the  Ministry, 
he  left  me  and  continued  his  visits. 

"As  soon  as  he  had  gone  I  decided  not  to  accept  the 
change  of  office  which  he  had  proposed.  I  understood 
that  at  the  Foreign  Affairs  Ministry  I  should  be  merely 
his  clerk,  and  that  he  himself  would  be  the  real  Minister. 
I  knew  very  well  that  I  should  simply  have  to  do  as  he 
dictated,  that  if  things  went  satisfactorily  he  would  have 
all  the  credit,  and  that  I  should  be  blamed  for  all  the 
mistakes. 

"  Besides,  it  had  been  agreed  that  I  should  take  the 
War  portfolio.  He  knew  why  I  wanted  it.  He  iinder- 
stood  my  reasons  and  had  approved  of  them,  so  in  view 
of  all  this  I  wrote  to  him  this  morning,  simply  telling  him 
that  I  regretted  not  being  able  to  join  his  combination. 
This  is  all  I  have  to  say  on  the  subject." 

I  quite  understood  the  reasons  which  M.  de  Freycinet 
gave  me,  and  as  it  was  Saturday  and  I  had  no  article  to 
send  to  my  paper  that  day,  I  decided  to  hold  over  what 
I  had  been  told  until  the  following  day,  intending  then 
to  see  how  much  it  would  be  wise  to  remember. 

Later  on  the  same  day  I  went  to  a  grand  soiree 
given  by  Madame  Adam  at  her  apartments  in  the 
Boulevard  Poissonniere.  There  the  main  topic  of  con- 
versation was  the  formation  of  the  Gambetta  Cabinet. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  I  came  across  one  of 


WHY  FRANCE  DID  NOT  GO  TO  EGYPT       237 

Gambetta's  intimate  friends.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
seen  the  future  Prime  Minister  that  afternoon,  and  that 
he  was  very  much  annoyed  with  M.  de  Freycinet.  He 
complained  bitterly  of  the  latter' s  defection,  and  it  was 
evident  that  he  considered  the  refusal  as  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  treachery. 

I  explained  to  my  interlocutor  the  reasons  M.  de 
Freycinet  had  given  me  a  few  hours  previous.  I  told 
him  that  those  reasons  perfectly  justified  the  attitude  of 
M.  de  Freycinet  in  my  eyes,  that  they  would  justify  him 
in  the  opinion  of  the  public,  and  that  I  was  convinced 
every  one  would  blame  M.  Gambetta. 

His  friend,  quite  annoyed,  assured  me  that  he  was 
absolutely  convinced  M.  Gambetta  had  no  idea  of  the 
motives  which  had  dictated  M.  de  Freycinet's  conduct, 
and  when  I  said  that  it  would  be  a  great  pity  if  these  two 
men  were  to  be  hostile  to  each  other,  and  that  at  all 
costs  this  hostility  should  be  prevented  from  breaking 
out,  he  replied  that  he  was  going  to  see  M.  Gambetta 
that  very  evening,  that  he  would  report  to  him  what  I 
had  said,  and  the  next  morning,  at  eleven,  he  would 
come  and  tell  me  what  M.  Gambetta  had  replied  and 
what  could  be  done  to  prevent  the  rupture  which  seemed 
to  both  of  us  so  undesirable.  But  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  there  was  a  knock  at  my  door  and  a  letter  was 
brought  to  me  to  the  following  effect : 

"I  have  not  been  able  to  see  Gambetta  himself,  but  I 
learn  on  good  authority  that  he  is  to  go  at  nine  this 
morning,  Sunday,  to  see  M.  Grevy  at  the  Elysee  to  com- 
municate the  result  of  his  negotiations,  and  he  will 
probably  inform  the  President  that,  on  accoiint  of 
M.  de  Freycinet's  refusal,  he  himself  will  take  over  the 


238  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

portfolio  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Therefore,  after  nine 
o'clock  it  would  be  too  late  to  make  any  communication 
to  M.  Gambetta,  so  that  if  M.  de  Freycinet  would  like  to 
have  an  explanation  with  him  which  might  modify  his 
plans  it  must  take  place  before  8.30." 


I  rose  at  five  o'clock,  took  a  cab  opposite  my  house, 
and  drove  to  M,  de  Freycinet's.  It  was  about  six  when 
I  arrived  there.  M.  de  Freycinet  was  in  bed.  A  candle 
was  burning  on  a  little  table  by  his  side  and  he  was 
working  by  that  light.  He  listened  to  me  attentively, 
thanked  me  very  much,  and  told  me  that  at  7.30  he 
would  be  at  M.  Gambetta's.  He  was  as  good  as  his 
word.  M.  Gambetta,  who  was  then  living  in  the  Rue 
St.  Didier,  was  at  his  window  smoking  a  cigar  when  he 
saw  M.  de  Freycinet  arrive. 

At  the  outset  the  interview  was  far  from  agreeable. 
M.  Gambetta  reproached  M.  de  Freycinet  with  not 
wishing  to  compromise  himself  in  the  former's  Cabinet, 
so  that  he  might  keep  free  in  order  to  succeed  him. 
M.  de  Freycinet  protested  energetically  and  declared 
positively  that  no  matter  what  might  happen  he  would 
never  succeed  him.  M.  Gambetta  was  appeased,  and 
when  M.  de  Freycinet  had  explained  the  cause  of  his 
refusal,  M.  Gambetta,  who  was  broad-minded  and  frank, 
admitted  that  his  conduct  had  not  been  entirely  blameless, 
so  that  the  interview,  which  had  commenced  so  imfavour- 
ably,  ended  in  the  most  cordial  manner.  The  next  day, 
November  14th,  the  Journal  Offictel  contained  the 
announcement  of  the  formation  of  Gambetta's  Cabinet, 
and  the  Ministry  settled  down  to  work  without  delay. 
From  the  time  he  came  into  power,  Gambetta  foimd 


WHY  FRANCE  DID  NOT  GO  TO  EGYPT      239 

himself  exposed  to  an  underhand  opposition,  to  unforeseen 
resistance,  to  inconceivable  maneuvers  and  to  impla- 
cable hostility.  Among  his  secret  adversaries,  none  was 
more  zealous  than  M.  de  Freycinet,  who,  in  spite  of  his 
explanation  with  the  new  Premier,  had  not  forgiven 
him  for  not  appointing  him  Minister  of  War. 

The  consequence  was  that  a  few  weeks  later  the 
Gambetta  Cabinet  was  defeated  on  the  question  of  the 
scrutin  de  liste  at  elections. 

This  scrutin  de  liste  had  been  haunting  M.  Gambetta 
for  ten  years. 

In  July,  1 87 1,  when  I  paid  M,  Thiers  my  first  visit  in 
the  name  of  the  Times,  he  said  to  me,  "Gambetta  and 
Faidherbe  have  conceived  the  idea  of  being  voted  for 
by  imiversal  suffrage,  as  they  have  their  names  at  the 
top  of  the  scrutin  de  listed  This  was  my  first  despatch 
to  the  Times;  it  was  reproduced  as  a  special  telegram, 
and  with  it  I  inaugurated  my  entrance  on  the  staff  of 
that  paper. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1882,  whilst  M.  Gambetta  was 
delivering  one  of  his  finest  speeches  in  defense  of  the 
scrutin  de  liste,  I  was  walking  in  the  Salle  des  Pas  Perdus 
with  M.  Joseph  Reinach.  The  great  speaker  was  more 
eloquent  than  ever,  and  we  could  hear  plainly  the  applause 
that  greeted  his  arguments.  He  was  pleading  the  cause 
of  the  scrutin  de  liste,  and  as,  in  spite  of  the  applause,  I 
expressed  my  fear  lest  M.  Gambetta's  Cabinet  should 
be  overthrown  on  account  of  this  speech,  M.  Joseph 
Reinach  said,  "They  cannot  overthrow  him;  there  is 
nobody  to  succeed  him." 

"What  about  M.  de  Freycinet?"  I  asked. 

"M.     de     Freycinet,"    replied     M.    Joseph     Reinach, 


240  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

promptly,  "  has  made  a  formal  promise  not  to  suc- 
ceed M.  Gambetta."  Nevertheless,  an  hour  later  M. 
Gambetta  was  defeated,  and  M.  de  Freycinet, 
who  was  immediately  asked  to  call  at  the  Elysee, 
agreed,  in  spite  of  his  promise,  to  succeed  M. 
Gambetta. 

"I  shall  never  forget  it,"  declared  Gambetta  when 
he  was  told  the  name  of  the  Prime  Minister  who  was  to 
take  his  place. 

And  for  six  months  Gambetta,  who  considered 
M.  de  Freycinet's  acceptance  as  an  act  of  treachery, 
made  desperate  onslaughts  on  his  Cabinet  on  every 
question. 

Now,  on  the  29th  of  July,  1882,  a  very  serious  matter 
was  discussed ;  namely,  whether  France  should  or  should 
not  go  with  England  to  Egypt.  M.  de  Freycinet  had 
adopted  an  imcertain  attitude,  but  on  the  whole  seemed 
inclined  to  cooperate  with  England.  M.  Gambetta 
then  rose  and  opposed  M.  de  Freycinet's  projects  with  an 
eloquence  that  was  both  aggressive  and  triumphant, 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  M.  Clemenceau,  overthrew  the 
Cabinet  that  ver^/  evening.  M.  Gambetta  and  his  party 
were  avenged. 

A  year  later,  when  in  Rome,  I  was  talking  to  Cardinal 
Jacobini. 

"Do  explain  to  me,"  he  said,  suddenly,  "why  France 
refused  to  accompany  England  to  Egypt." 

I  told  the  Cardinal  the  story  of  the  portfolio  which 
I  have  just  related  here,  and  I  proved  to  him  that  if 
M.  de  Freycinet  had  been  offered  the  post  of  Minister 
of  War,  which  he  greatly  desired  and  had  every  reason 
to  expect,  instead  of  that  of  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 


WHY  FRANCE  DID  NOT  GO  TO  EGYPT      241 

France   would,    at   this   moment,    be   with    England   in 
Egypt. 

A  smile  such  as  one  sees  only  on  the  lips  of  a  Roman 
Cardinal  hovered  over  his  mouth,  and  he  murmured  in 
Italian,  "  Small  causes,  great  effects  ! " 


CHAPTER  XIII 
My  Interview  with  the  Sultan 

When  I  left  Paris,  in  1883,  for  Constantinople,  on  the 
inauguration  train  of  the  Orient  Express,  Essad-Pasha, 
the  Turkish  Ambassador  in  Paris,  gave  me  two  letters 
of  introduction,  one  for  Said-Pasha,  the  Grand  Vizier, 
the  other  for  Munir-Bey,  the  Master  of  Ceremonies. 

I  had  not  hidden  from  Essad-Pasha  my  desire  to  avail 
myself  of  this  visit  to  Constantinople  for  approaching 
the  Sultan,  and  although  the  letters  of  introduction  he 
gave  me  were,  according  to  diplomatic  custom,  sealed, 
I  am  sure  they  mentioned  my  wish  and  suggested  that 
I  should  be  helped  to  carry  it  out. 

On  arriving  at  Constantinople,  a  good  friend  of  mine 
who  lives  in  that  city  called  upon  me.  He  knew  every 
one  and  everything  there,  and  I  told  him  that  I  had  come 
with  some  friends  who  were  leaving  in  four  days,  that 
I  wanted  first  to  see  Constantinople  with  them,  and  that 
I  intended  waiting  until  they  had  gone  before  using  my 
letters  of  introduction,  as  I  was  staying  a  week  longer 
than  they  were.  My  friend  advised  me  to  deliver  the 
letters  at  once,  and  he  undertook  to  see  that  they  reached 
their  destination. 

Two  days  later,  on  Thursday,  we  were  told  that  it  was 
the  eve  of  the  Courbam-Bairam,  and  that  the  fetes  would 
commence  on  Friday  and  last  until  Monday  evening. 

This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me.     I  understood 

242 


I 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      243 

that  I  should  not  be  able  to  meet  any  members  of  the 
official  world  until  after  the  fetes,  on  the  following 
Tuesday.  As  I  was  to  leave  on  the  Saturday  following, 
this  left  me  only  four  days  to  settle  the  complicated 
question  of  an  audience  with  the  Sultan.  During  the 
three  days  I  had  been  in  Constantinople  I  had  seen  a 
great  many  people  and  had  talked  about  a  great  many 
things,  and  I  had  begun  to  understand  that  this  was  no 
easy  matter.  The  Sultan  had  never  granted  a  private 
audience  to  any  one  in  my  position,  and  the  persons 
on  whom  I  was  relying  for  asking  the  Sultan  to  receive 
me  would  more  likely  prevent  my  obtaining  an  interview 
than  otherwise. 

Missak-Effendi,  the  First  Secretary  of  the  Ottoman 
Embassy  in  Paris,  a  delightful  man,  a  clever  diplomatist, 
always  pleasant  and  amiable,  as  well  as  a  good  linguist 
and  an  excellent  fimctionary,  had  travelled  with  us. 
He  told  me  that  I  ought  not  to  leave  Constantinople 
without  seeing  the  Sultan,  and  he  had  mentioned  the 
matter  to  Said-Pasha  and  to  Mimir-Bey.  With  his 
usual  courtesy,  he  had  told  Munir-Bey  not  to  forget  to 
remind  the  Sultan  who  I  was  and  in  what  capacity  I  was 
there,  so  that  he  might  weigh  his  words  and  not  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  what  he  said  to  me  would  not  escape 
publicity.  To  any  one  who  knows  Constantinople  and 
the  palace  it  will  be  very  evident  that  after  this  recom- 
mendation, of  which  I  knew  nothing  until  my  depart- 
vire,  there  was  no  chance  whatever  of  attaining  the 
end  I  had  in  view  through  official  influence.  Neither 
Munir-Bey,  Said-Pasha,  nor  any  of  those  whose  responsi- 
bility is  publicly  acknowledged,  would  have  cared  to 
risk  the  consequences  of  an  audience  accorded  to  me  by 


244  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

the  Sultan.  Abdul-Hamid  is  too  attentive  and  too 
enlightened  not  to  take  into  accoiint  the  press,  and 
particularly  the  independent  press  of  Europe,  and  not 
to  keep  himself  well  posted  about  the  various  correspond- 
ences published  in  Europe.  Now,  as  it  happened,  some 
of  the  correspondents  of  certain  newspapers  in  Constanti- 
nople, by  their  free  and  independent  criticism  of  Turkey 
and  of  the  Ministers,  and  the  deeds  of  the  Sultan  himself, 
had  roused  the  susceptibilities  of  His  Majesty,  who  still 
had  a  lively  remembrance  of  some  of  those  articles. 

Who  would  be  responsible  if,  in  my  turn,  I  should  add 
to  the  Sultan's  bitter  impressions,  and  who  could  ask  these 
high  officials,  whom  a  glance  from  their  lord  and  master 
could  annihilate,  to  accept  the  consequences  of  such  an 
interview  and  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  having  brought 
it  about  and  of  having  asked  the  Sovereign  to  grant  it  ? 

As  my  brief  sojourn  fiunished  timorous  officials  with 
a  justification  of  their  fears,  it  was  quite  probable  and 
almost  certain  that  I  should  not  see  the  Chief  of  Believers 
before  leaving  his  capital.  A  fresh  circimistance  added 
to  the  complication  of  the  question. 

The  Friday  after  the  Bairam  I  went  to  Therapia  to 
call  on  Lord  Dufferin. 

When  I  told  him  that  I  had  left  two  letters  of  intro- 
duction from  Essad-Pasha,  the  English  diplomatist 
was  of  my  opinion  that  the  time  was  too  limited  for  me 
to  be  able  to  count  on  an  audience. 

He  assiired  me  that  Mr.  Forster  had  obtained  an 
audience,  but  that  it  had  been  postponed  twice,  and  that, 
as  he  could  not  remain  any  longer,  he  had  left  without 
waiting  for  the  day  appointed  the  third  time. 

I  thought,  naturally,  that  if  so  important  a  personage 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      245 

as  Mr.  Forster  had  been  kept  waiting  like  this  I  might  as 
well  give  up  all  idea  of  succeeding.  I  asked  Lord  Dufferin, 
nevertheless,  if  he  would  not  be  kind  enough  to  second  me 
in  my  attempt.  With  his  usual  perspicacity  and  knowl- 
edge of  all  that  concerns  Oriental  men  and  things,  he 
saw  immediately  that  we  should  have  to  avoid  taking 
any  direct,  official  step  in  the  matter,  as  this  would  only 
create  a  fresh  obstacle.  He  told  me  that  he  would  write  a 
private  letter  to  Mimir-Bey,  merely  informing  him  that 
I  was  among  the  passengers  of  the  Orient  Express,  and 
suggesting  that  perhaps  His  Majesty  might  like  to  be 
informed  of  the  fact.  He  did  this  that  same  day.  I 
happened  to  know,  too,  that  Mimir-Bey  was  always 
pleased  to  receive  information  of  this  kind  through  an 
Ambassador,  because  in  this  way  he  was  obliged  to 
convey  it  to  his  chief  without  incurring  the  responsi- 
bility of  having  taken  the  initiative.  The  Sultan  was, 
therefore,  apprised  on  Saturday  that  I  was  in  Constanti- 
nople, and  when  communicating  to  him  the  note  from 
Lord  Dufferin,  those  who  presented  it  added  that,  having 
now  discharged  their  duty,  they  had  only  to  await  the 
decision  of  the  Sovereign.  Under  these  conditions 
during  the  two  next  days  a  profound  silence  was  main- 
tained with  regard  to  me.  The  amusing  side  of  the  affair 
was  that  two  parties  were  formed  round  the  Sultan  on 
my  accoimt,  in  spite  of  the  tinimportance  of  my  per- 
sonality. Some  had  proceeded  officially,  almost  compul- 
sorily,  and  when  once  their  official  request  had  been  made 
they  had  remained  quiet,  rather  glad  on  the  whole  of  the 
silence  which  was  maintained  with  regard  to  me.  Others, 
anxious,  on  the  contrary,  that  I  should  see  the  Sultan, 
and  in  their  enthusiasm  for  him  convinced  that    this 


246  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

interview  could  only  leave  an  excellent  impression  on 
my  mind,  were  most  impatient  as  the  hours  slipped  by 
and  the  hour  of  my  departure  approached.  They  could 
do  nothing  to  break  this  silence  themselves,  nor  to  get 
it  broken  by  others,  prevented  as  they  were  by  the  note 
sent  by  an  Ambassador  and  by  the  official  intervention 
of  those  whose  functions  authorised  them  to  intervene. 
Things  went  on  in  this  way  until  Tuesday  evening. 

In  three  days'  time  I  was  to  leave  Constantinople. 

On  Tuesday  evening  I  received  from  Said-Pasha  the 
following  letter: 

*'Sir:  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  the  letter  from 
His  Excellency,  Essad-Pasha,  which  you  were  kind 
enough  to  forward  to  me,  and  also  the  letter  in  which 
you  ask  for  an  interview.  I  regret  that  on  accoimt  of 
my  numerous  occupations  I  could  not  reply  earlier.  I 
will  let  you  know  the  day  and  hour  when  I  shall  be  able 
to  see  you.  Accept  the  assurance  of  my  perfect  con- 
sideration. Said." 

As  I  was  to  leave  on  Saturday,  this  letter  was  equiva- 
lent to  a  refusal,  and  I  heard  the  very  next  day  that  on 
account  of  Abdul-Hamid's  silence  about  the  communi- 
cation made  by  Lord  Dufferin  in  his  note,  Said-Pasha 
deemed  it  prudent  not  to  receive  me,  which  fact  was  very 
evident  from  his  letter. 

Thereupon,  I  hastened  the  preparations  for  my  depar- 
ture, and  that  very  evening  went  to  keep  an  appointment 
which  had  been  arranged  for  me  with  the  Sheik  Abul- 
Huda  el-Rifai,  the  Grand  Caziasker  of  Anatolia,  in  order 
to  complete,  at  any  rate,  my  interviews  with  the  men 
of  note  of  the  capital. 

My  conversation  with  this  eminent  man  lasted  imtil 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      247 

very  late  into  the  night,  and  I  have  heard  since  that  the 
next  morning  he  wrote  to  inform  the  Sultan  about  it. 

The  following  day  one  of  my  friends  came  to  tell  me 
that  he  had  just  received  the  visit  of  a  person  who  fre- 
quented the  palace,  who  had  told  him  that  every  one 
there  wanted  me  to  see  the  Sultan,  but  that  no  one  dared 
introduce  the  subject  for  fear  an  official  demand  for  an 
audience  should  exist,  as  that  would  prevent  any  other 
steps  being  taken. 

I  understood,  then,  the  tact  and  finesse  with  which 
Lord  Dufferin  had  acted,  and  I  was  able  to  declare  that 
no  official  demand  for  an  audience  existed. 

My  friend  appeared  to  be  delighted. 

That  same  day  I  had  a  visit  from  Waiss-Bey,  the 
Turkish  Consul-General  in  Venice,  a  very  distinguished 
Orientalist,  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  Sultan  and 
connected  with  the  palace.  He  is  an  active,  intelligent 
man,  very  anxious  to  show  up  Turkey,  of  which  he 
is  an  ardent  defender,  in  its  best  light. 

He  appeared  to  know  what  was  going  on.  We  talked 
for  a  long  time,  and  I  heard  later  on  that,  on  leaving 
me,  he  wrote  a  long  letter  which  the  Sultan  would  see, 
in  which  he  pleaded  warmly  in  favour  of  the  audience. 
All  these  movements,  all  these  applications,  and  one 
might  even  say  all  these  struggles,  were  going  on  without 
my  suspecting  them  in  the  least.  As  my  visit  was  to 
come  to  an  end  in  a  couple  of  days,  I  considered  my 
cause  lost.  In  spite  of  this,  the  next  day,  Thursday,  I 
heard  that  Philippe-Effendi,  the  editor  of  the  Vakhtt, 
the  special  journal  of  the  Sultan,  a  man  who  is  very 
devoted  to  His  Majesty  and  who  is  broad-minded  and  a 
protege  of  Osman-Bey,  the  First  Chamberlain,  had  said 


248  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

that  I  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  leave  without  seeing 
the  Sovereign.  I  knew,  too,  that  Reschid-Bey,  the 
Sultan's  Chief  Secretary,  a  very  highly  educated  young 
man,  in  whom  his  master  has  every  confidence  and  who 
looks  at  things  in  an  unprejudiced  way,  was  among 
those  who  were  inclined  toward  the  audience,  Mr. 
Guaracino,  too,  an  Englishman,  who  had  been  in  Constan- 
tinople almost  all  his  life,  and  who  used  to  be  a  member 
of  the  English  Consulate,  a  very  active  and  intelligent 
man,  who  was  liked  by  the  Mussulmans  and  a  great 
favourite  everywhere,  was  particularly  interested  in  the 
success  of  my  enterprise.  As  I  have  said,  all  this  agitation 
was  going  on  around  me,  and  the  greatest  precautions 
were  taken  so  that  I  should  not  have  any  idea  of  it ;  yet 
I  understood  that  all  these  people  had  not  abandoned 
the  cause  and  had  not  given  up  all  hope  of  conquering 
the  resistance  opposed  to  them.  I  felt  that  I  was  breath- 
ing in  an  atmosphere  which,  even  for  Constantinople, 
was  full  of  exceptional  mystery.  The  Turks,  who  usually 
converse  in  a  low  voice,  spoke  still  lower  in  my  presence, 
and  uttered  Turkish  monosyllables,  almost  in  a  whisper, 
as  they  glanced  at  me.  I  went  about  like  an  actor  in 
a  conspiracy  on  the  stage,  knowing  that  whatever 
happened,  whether  failure  or  success,  the  result  would 
not  be  fatal  to  any  one. 

On  Thursday,  in  the  afternoon,  Waiss-Bey  came  to 
tell  me  that  it  would  be  well  for  me  to  go  the  next  day, 
Friday,  to  the  Selamlik,  which  would  take  place  at  the 
M^didjeh  Mosque  near  Dolma-Bagchi. 

"But,"  I  said,  "I  went  to  the  Bairam  last  Friday  and 
I  saw  the  ceremony  and  the  Sultan.  There  will  be 
nothing  fresh  to  see  to-morrow." 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      249 

"No  matter — it's  better  to  go;  there's  no  knowing. 
It  sometimes  happens  that  the  Sultan  notices  foreigners 
and  asks  to  see  them.  Besides,  you  will  see  him  again, 
and  the  ceremony  is  interesting." 

"Very  well,  I'll  go,"  I  said.  "At  what  time  must  I 
be  there?" 

"At  midday." 

He  had  just  gone  away  when  I  received  a  message  to 
the  effect  that  Khair-eddin-Pasha  would  receive  me  the 
following  day  at  Nichanne-Tache,  at  half -past  nine  in 
the  morning.  Soon  after,  one  of  my  friends  called 
to  tell  me  that  Said-Pasha  would  see  me  at  Nichanne- 
Tache  at  six  o'clock,  Turkish  time. 

"  What  time  will  that  be  ?"  I  asked. 

My  friend  began  to  calculate  and  then  replied,  "  Half- 
past  eleven." 

I  reflected  that  if  I  went  at  half-past  nine  to  see 
Khaireddin,  and  at  half -past  eleven  to  Said's,  I  should 
never  be  at  the  Selamlik  at  noon.  But,  as  Said-Pasha 
had  given  me  Turkish  time,  it  was  quite  allowable  for 
me  to  make  a  mistake  of  an  hour  in  my  calculations, 
and  so  arrive  at  half -past  ten  to  see  him.  If  he  received 
me  then,  I  should  have  time  to  go  to  the  Selamlik, 
and  if  he  did  not  receive  me,  I  could  apologise  and  leave 
a  few  lines  to  him,  explaining  that  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  wait. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  a  dinner  given  in  my  honour 
at  the  Club.  I  asked  Mr.  Guaracino  whether  a  seat  at 
table  had  been  purposely  left  vacant,  and  he  told  me 
that  Philippe-Effendi  was  to  have  been  there,  but,  he 
added,  lowering  his  voice,  "he  must  have  gone  to  the 
palace    to    see    whether    there    is    anything    fresh."     I 


2  50  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

finished  the  evening  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Smythe,  a  very 
pleasant  sort  of  man,  a  director  of  the  Ottoman  Bank. 
I  was  able  to  admire  at  his  house  some  charming 
specimens  of  the  English  colony,  and  I  then  returned  at 
rather  a  late  hour  to  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre.  Early 
next  morning,  Weiss-Bey  and  Mr.  Guaracino  came  to 
tell  me  that  they  would  wait  for  me  between  half -past 
eleven  and  twelve,  on  the  Dolma-Bagchi  road,  to  take 
me  to  the  guard-house  which  faces  the  Medidjeh  Mosque, 
where  I  could  see  the  Sultan  quite  close.  I  went  to 
Khair-eddin's  at  half -past  nine,  and  left  him  at  half -past 
ten,  to  go  to  Said-Pasha's,  who  lives  just  opposite. 

I  had  done  well  to  go  an  hour  earlier,  for  Said-Pasha 
received  me  at  once. 

When  I  took  leave  of  him,  although  the  hands  of  my 
watch  pointed  to  a  quarter  to  twelve,  I  feared  that  I 
should  miss  the  Selamlik. 

I  had  scarcely  departed  from  the  house  when  I  met 
Mr,  Guaracino,  who  had  brought  a  horse  and  had 
come  at  full  speed  to  tell  me  that  it  was  late.  We 
found  Waiss-Bey  stamping  about  impatiently,  and  we 
went  along  at  full  gallop  toward  Dolma-Bagchi,  when 
we  were  told  that  the  Selamlik  was  to  take  place  at 
Bechik-Tache,  and  not  at  the  Medidjeh  Mosque.  There, 
every  one  was  waiting  in  a  state  of  hesitation,  for  it 
was  expected  that  the  ceremony  would  have  taken  place 
at  the  Medidjeh  Mosque,  and,  although  the  troops  were 
drawn  up,  the  officers  present,  and  instructions  had  been 
given  to  the  softas,  yet  at  the  last  moment  a  coimter- 
order  might  arrive,  and  the  Sultan,  with  that  persistent 
care  not  to  appear  in  a  locality  that  has  been  indicated 
beforehand,  might  change  the  meeting-place.     In  cases 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN       251 

of  this  kind  nothing  can  give  an  idea  of  the  rapidity 
with  which  this  official  change  of  quarters  is  effected. 
The  troops,  the  officials  of  the  procession,  the  horses 
and  carriages,  and  the  assembled  crowd,  disappear  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  and  go  quickly  to  the  mosque  indicated 
without  any  surprise  or  displeasure,  as  though  it  were 
the  most  natural  thing;  the  guard-house  looks  just  as 
usual,  and  five  minutes  later  a  stranger  passing  by  would 
never  imagine  that,  only  a  few  minutes  before,  a  crowd 
had  been  waiting  there,  that  soldiers  had  been  drawn 
up  in  line,  that  rows  of  carriages  with  the  horses  im- 
hamessed  had  been  on  the  spot  amidst  all  the  ceremonials 
of  an  absolute  government  whose  chief  deigns  to  be 
saluted  once  a  week.  But  when  we  saw  that  sand  was 
being  thrown  on  the  ground  where  the  Sultan  was  to 
pass,  we  understood  that  it  was  certainly  here  that  the 
ceremony  would  take  place.  The  Turkish  finances  are 
not  in  a  state  which  allows  of  a  waste  of  sand. 

A  few  minutes  later  an  aide-de-camp  on  horseback 
galloped  up,  announcing  that  His  Majesty  was  about  to 
leave  the  palace  and  come  to  the  Mosque  of  Bechik- 
Tache. 

I  was  then  advised  to  mount  on  the  highest  of  the 
steps  leading  to  the  guard-house,  so  that  I  might  be 
above  the  crowd  and  see  the  Sultan. 

My  companions,  however,  looked  greatly  distressed. 
At  Bechik-Tache  the  mosque  is  some  distance  from  the 
guard-house.  It  is  beyond  the  little  triangular  square, 
just  opposite  the  door  through  which  the  Sultan  enters. 
I  was  in  the  midst  of  all  the  foreigners  who  had  rushed 
to  see  the  ceremony,  and  if  I  should  manage  to  see  the 
Sultan,  how  could  I  have  the  slightest  chance  of  being  seen 


252  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

by  him  !  If  just  then  I  had  suggested  to  my  two  compan- 
ions that  we  should  go  away,  they  would  have  been 
delighted,  so  convinced  were  they  that  we  were  merely 
wasting  our  time  and  that  I  should  simply  witness  the 
failure  of  their  plans.  As  these  thoughts  were  crossing 
my  mind,  a  tall,  strongly  built  man,  dressed  in  a  grey 
suit  of  European  cut,  holding  a  soft  hat  in  his  hand, 
crossed  the  square  which  the  troops  were  guarding. 
He  had  a  full  face  and  dark  complexion  and  a  black, 
stiff  mustache.  He  was  quite  out  of  breath  as  he 
approached  us,  and  murmuring  a  few  words  to  the 
officer  in  command  of  the  guard-house,  he  then  made 
a  sign  to  us  to  follow  him. 

"It's  Philippe-Effendi,"  said  Mr.  Guaracino;  "he  has 
an  trade  for  us  to  have  good  places." 

We  went  through  the  guard-house,  turned  down  a 
small  corridor  to  the  right,  and  came  into  a  drawing- 
room,  which  was  very  clean,  and  furnished  with  arm- 
chairs and  a  wide  sofa  occupying  the  whole  length  '>^ 
the  two  windows  which  looked  on  to  the  square  antr 
the  mosque.  Evidently  this  word,  trade,  was  of  the 
same  derivation  as  "irradiation."  From  the  moment  it 
had  been  pronounced  in  my  favour  I  felt  that  luminous 
effluvia  were  irradiating  around  me.  As  we  entered,  the 
officers,  with  their  gold  lace,  who  were  seated,  rose, 
looked  at  me  with  respectful  curiosity,  and  invited  me 
to  take  a  seat  on  the  sofa.  As  soon  as  I  was  seated,  a 
soldier  brought  me  coffee  and  another  one  cigarettes.  I 
had  become  the  Sultan's  guest. 

Suddenly  a  great  noise  was  heard  in  the  street.  The 
Sultan  was  approaching.  Philippe-Effendi  said  a  few 
words  to  Mr.  Guaracino,  who  opened  the  lower  part  of 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      253 

one  of  the  windows,  told  me  to  get  up  on  the  sofa,  and 
then  invited  me  to  sit  down  on  the  white  marble  of 
the  window. 

Every  one  drew  back  a  little,  and  at  the  same  moment, 
in  obedience  to  an  order  given  outside,  a  clear  space 
was  made  in  front  of  the  window  on  which  I  was  seated. 

I  was  thus  completely  isolated  both  from  the  outside 
and  the  interior  against  the  somewhat  dark  background 
of  the  room,  with  the  sim  fuU  on  me,  showing  me  up  in 
the  foreground  of  the  picture.  I  was  seated  sideways, 
my  legs  hanging  over  the  sofa,  my  body  leaning  forward 
and  my  head  out  of  the  window. 

I  imderstood  that  I  was  posing  for  the  Sultan. 

"It  is  to  be  hoped,"  I  said,  in  real  terror,  to  Mr. 
Guaracino,  "that  there  is  no  photographer  here  with  his 
apparatus  just  facing  us.  My  pose  would  certainly 
not  be  to  my  advantage." 

The  cheering  of  the  troops  could  be  heard  as  the 
Sultan  appeared  in  a  close  carriage  with  the  windows 
drawn  up.  I  did  not  see  him  very  well.  I  knew  he 
would  look  toward  me — he  could  scarcely  do  otherwise, 
as  I  had  been  placed  in  such  a  conspicuous  position, 
and  I  bowed  with  all  the  respect  due  to  the  Sovereign 
of  the  country.  The  carriage  stopped,  Abdul-Hamid 
entered  the  mosque,  after  turning  round  toward  the 
crowd,  and  the  muezzin  having  appeared  on  the  gallery, 
we  understood  that  prayers  had  commenced  within. 

I  at  once  left  my  uncomfortable  seat  and  entered  the 
room  again,  but  I  had  been  inside  only  a  few  minutes 
when  Philippe-Effendi  suddenly  rushed  out. 

"What's  the  matter?"  I  asked  Mr.  Guaracino. 


254  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"Another  trade,''  he  answered. 

"Where?" 

"There,  the  gentleman  wearing  a  fez,  who  is  just 
crossing  the  road." 

He  was  right,  for  the  trade,  in  the  red  fez,  was  talking 
to  Philippe-Effendi.      The  latter  soon  returned  and  said: 

"  An  order  for  us  to  be  ready  to  go  up  to  Yildiz-Kiosque 
after  the  Selamlik." 

Things  were  advancing  very  slowly,  but  still  they  were 
advancing.  My  pose  at  the  window  had  not  caused  the 
Sultan  to  change  his  plans. 

At  this  moment  Mavroyeni-Pasha,  a  clever  and  witty 
Greek,  who  was  private  physician  to  the  Padishah, 
came  in. 

We  talked  together  for  a  few  minutes. 

"I  am  sorry  you  have  not  seen  the  Sultan,"  he  said; 
"you  would  have  acquired  for  yourself  proof  of  the 
stupid  imtruths  that  are  told  about  him.  You  would 
have  seen  for  yourself  how  sound  his  mind  is,  how  just 
he  is,  and  how  healthy,  too.  People  say  that  he  has  all 
kinds  of  diseases,  that  he  has  scrofula,  and  is  subject  to 
fainting  fits.  It  is  infamous.  I  have  never  known  him 
ill,  and  I  am  the  most  expensive  luxury  that  he  allows 
himself." 

On  looking  round  I  noticed  that  Philippe-Effendi  had 
disappeared. 

"Where  has  he  gone?"  I  asked  Waiss-Bey, 

"  There's  another  trade  on  your  account." 

Philippe-Effendi  came  back  again. 

"  Strict  orders  have  been  issued  to  take  you  to  Yildiz- 
Kiosque.  When  there,  a  chamberlain  will  tell  us  what 
«s  to  be  done,"  he  said. 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      255 

My  companions  were  radiant.  Evidently  one  of  those 
mysterious  battles  had  been  waged  round  the  Sultan 
with  regard  to  me — one  of  those  battles  the  secret  of 
which  is  guarded  by  the  walls  of  the  palace,  and  about 
which  conquerors  and  conquered  are  equally  silent.  I 
was  gradually  penetrating  it,  and  if  I  am  able  to  tell  all 
the  details  now,  it  is  because,  in  the  first  place,  I  was 
able  to  observe  everything  for  myself,  and  also  because 
victory  makes  the  conquerors  more  readily  inclined  to 
be  communicative.  Very  soon  the  fourth  and  last 
trade  arrived,  and  I  knew  from  the  faces  of  my  friends 
that  victory  was  nearly  certain. 

"An  order  to  go  to  the  Marshals'  room  and  to  wait 
there." 

We  were  now  in  the  stronghold — or  rather,  we  were 
just  about  to  enter. 

"But  who  gives  these  orders,  one  after  the  other?" 
I  asked. 

"The  Sultan  communicates  them  to  a  chamberlain, 
who  transmits  them  to  officers  on  duty  outside." 

"  Well,  then,  the  Sultan  is  not  at  prayer  ?" 

"No;  that  is  one  of  the  thousand  European  errors. 
The  mosque  is  not  a  place  entirely  consecrated  to 
prayer.  People  can  pray  everywhere,  since  Allah  is 
everywhere.  The  mosque  is  principally  a  meeting-place ; 
all  things  can  be  discussed  there,  and  they  are  dis- 
cussed. It  often  happens,  too,  like  to-day,"  and  they 
pointed  to  some  servants  who  were  carrying  some  trays, 
"that  the  Sultan  invites  those  who  are  with  him  to  take 
some  refreshments.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  the 
Selamlik  was  instituted  only  by  the  reigning  family. 
Formerly  the  Sultan  always  remained  invisible,  and  he 


2  56  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

might  be  assassinated  in  his  palace  and  a  successor  sub- 
stituted for  him  without  the  people's  having  any  idea 
of  it.  It  was  therefore  decided  that,  cost  what  it 
might,  he  should  show  himself  at  least  once  a  week  to 
his  people.  It  once  happened  that  a  Sultan  who  was 
dangerously  ill  was  nevertheless  carried  to  the  Selamlik 
and  died  on  his  return  to  the  palace." 

Just  at  this  moment  military  orders  were  heard,  the 
music  struck  up,  the  horses  began  to  paw  the  ground, 
people  rushed  to  the  windows,  and  Abdul-Hamid,  leaving 
the  mosque,  took  his  seat  in  a  victoria,  with  Osman-Bey 
at  his  side  and  two  of  his  aides-de-camp  opposite,  and 
started.  We  left  the  guard-house;  our  carriages  were 
waiting  for  us,  and  we  drove  to  the  palace  by  the  new 
road.  This  road  was  a  wonderful  sight.  It  is  admirably 
made,  and  rises  in  a  gentle  incline  cut  in  the  side  of  a 
green  slope,  with  trees  dotted  about  here  and  there. 
What  remains  of  the  hill  out  of  which  it  was  cut  forms 
a  declivity  sloping  on  both  sides,  leading,  one  toward  the 
new  road  and  the  other  going  down  toward  the  old  road. 
The  two  slopes,  the  whole  length  of  our  drive,  were 
covered  with  men,  women  and  children,  who  had  hurried 
there  to  see  the  Sultan.  These  are  the  rare  occasions 
when  Turkish  women  and  children  leave  their  homes 
to  see  anything  that  is  taking  place  without,  and  no 
Mussulman  dare  forbid  his  family  to  be  present.  On  the 
green  grass  of  the  slopes,  and  under  the  slight  shade  of 
the  trees,  the  bright,  harmonious  colours  of  the  ferehjes, 
or  striped  mantles  of  two  colours,  red  and  yellow,  violet 
and  white,  blue  and  pink,  showed  up  in  great  brilliancy, 
punctuated  with  red  by  the  caps  of  the  boys,  who  were 
frolicking  about  in  and  out  of  the  groups.     The  women 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      257 

wore  over  their  faces  those  veils  which  are  more  and 
more  transparent,  and  against  which,  for  mere  form's 
sake,  there  are  periodical  trades  ordering  a  return  to 
thick  veils ;  but  these  trades  only  cause  fleeting  tumult 
that  scarcely  lasts  a  day.  The  veil  is,  I  believe, 
destined  to  disappear  altogether  soon,  and  Turkish 
Women,  conforming  to  the  true  precepts  of  the  Koran, 
will  show  their  faces,  which  have  not  been  seen  hitherto 
by  curious  travellers,  and  will  only  retain  their  flowing 
draperies,  which  cover  their  entire  body  in  a  perfectly 
modest  manner. 

As  we  reached  the  gate  of  Yildiz-Kiosque,  a  soldier, 
acting  as  sentinel,  advanced  toward  us.  Philippe- 
Effendi  leaned  forward  and  murmured  the  word  trade. 
The  soldier  stepped  back  respectfully,  and,  by  a  path 
which  starts  from  the  gate  and  turns  to  the  right  a 
hundred  yards  farther  along,  we  reached  a  low  door 
and  entered  Yildiz-Kiosque.  Philippe-Effendi  left  us 
for  an  instant  in  order  to  ask  Osman-Bey,  the  first 
Chamberlain,  to  have  us  conducted  to  the  Marshals' 
room.  As  soon  as  he  entered  it,  a  cavedji  brought  us 
some  coffee  and  cigarettes.  We  were  invited  to  sit 
down  and  asked  to  wait. 

Ten  minutes  later  a  chamberlain  appeared  at  the  door, 
bowed,  and  asked  me  to  follow  him.  We  passed  through 
two  drawing-rooms,  then  along  a  large  gallery  divided  by 
a  red  screen,  and  another  drawing-room  covered  with 
fine  matting,  and  the  chamberlain,  who  walked  in  front 
of  me,  made  a  sign  for  me  to  wait  there.  I  thought  that 
this  chamberlain  was  taking  me  to  one  of  the  Sultan's 
aides-de-camp,  who  would  tell  me  when  I  could  see  his 
master,  for  so  far  neither  Philippe-Effendi  nor  Waiss-Bey, 


2S8  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

nor  Mr.  Guaracino — either  because  they  did  not  know 
or  because,  with  that  stubborn  discretion  peculiar  to 
Oriental  diplomacy,  they  did  not  want  to  compromise 
themselves — none  of  the  three  could  or  would  tell  me 
which  day  would  be  fixed  for  my  audience  with  the 
Sultan. 

After  a  few  minutes  the  chamberlain  who  was  con- 
ducting me  stopped  in  front  of  an  open  door,  beckoned 
to  me  to  approach,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  was  much 
surprised  on  advancing  to  find  myself  face  to  face  with 
Abdul-Hamid,  who  was  standing  up  in  front  of  me.  The 
Sultan  was  wearing  the  insignia  of  a  Marshal  of  his 
army  and  the  uniform  of  his  Life  Guards.  His  trousers 
were  blue,  with  a  double  band  of  red,  and  were  held  by 
straps  over  his  patent-leather  boots  furnished  with 
rowels.  On  his  straight  coat  he  wore  the  military  medal 
which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  his  army ;  his  cloak 
was  lined  with  red  and  finished  with  plain,  large  buttons 
of  reddish  gold,  and  on  his  head  was  a  red  fez. 

Abdul-Hamid  advanced  to  meet  me  and  held  out  his 
hand.  He  was  wearing  gloves  of  soft,  white  kid,  such  as 
are  adopted  by  European  officers  when  on  service.  He 
invited  me  to  sit  on  an  armchair,  and  he  sat  down 
himseH  on  a  sofa  covered  with  red  damask  with  large 
blue  flowers.  He  leaned  back  against  a  cushion  and 
signed  to  a  chamberlain  who  was  standing  in  a  doorway. 
This  chamberlain  was  Raghib-Bey,  and  the  Sultan 
ordered  him  to  take  the  armchair  near  mine. 

To  my  left,  between  the  armchair  on  which  I  was 
seated  and  the  sofa  where  the  Sultan  was,  there  was  a 
small,  wooden  table,  gilded  and  with  a  slab  of  malachite, 
upon  which  were  placed  an   onyx  match-box,  a  small 


MONS.  DE  BLOWITZ, 

as  he  traveled  to  Constantinoiile  in  i88j  and  as  he  was  received  by 

Sultan  Abdul- Hamid 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      259 

oval  ash-tray,  also  of  onyx,  and  a  cigarette  case  of 
chased  silver. 

Raghib-Bey  was  to  serve  as  interpreter.  The  presence 
of  an  interpreter  certainly  does  prevent  the  conversation 
from  being  carried  on  rapidly,  but  this  inconvenience  is 
largely  compensated  by  numerous  advantages.  In  the 
first  place,  when  one  is  in  the  presence  of  a  personage 
like  the  Sultan,  it  is  easier  to  express  one's  ideas  to  an 
interpreter,  who  will  transmit  them,  than  to  the  personage 
in  question.  Then,  too,  while  he  is  replying,  one  can 
study  his  face  without  being  preoccupied,  because  one 
does  not  understand  what  he  is  saying  and  one  can  also 
be  preparing  the  conversation  which  is  to  follow. 

During  my  interview  I  noticed  these  three  advantages, 
and  to  begin  with,  I  was  able  to  study  Abdul-Hamid  at 
my  ease. 

He  was  rather  above  the  average  height,  slight  and 
almost  thin ;  he  had  a  brown  skin,  warm  and  dry  looking ; 
his  beard  was  black,  well  groomed,  and  rather  short  and 
thick.  His  mouth  was  energetic,  but  sad;  his  nose,  a 
regular  Turkish  nose,  large,  long  and  bony,  with  a  slight 
deflection  of  the  upper  part  of  the  nostril.  His  eyes 
were  black,  rather  large,  resolute,  thoughtful,  penetrating 
but  not  gentle  looking;  they  were  deep -set  in  the  orbit, 
and  as  the  light  fell  on  one  side  of  his  face  and  left  the 
other  side  in  the  shade,  his  eyes  appeared  to  be  remark- 
ably deep-sunk.  His  forehead  was  wide  and  straight,  of 
medium  height  and  slightly  furrowed.  The  black  hair 
which  was  visible  on  his  temples,  between  the  fez  and  the 
beard,  was  short  and  almost  close-shaven.  Abdul-Hamid 
was  then  forty-one  years  of  age,  but  he  looked  more, 
particularly  as  he  had  lost  an  upper  tooth  on  the  left  side 


26o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

near  the  middle.  He  spoke  in  a  louder  voice  than  his 
subjects;  his  language  was  sonorous,  his  words  distinct, 
and  his  phrases  lengthened  out  and  terminated  without 
any  hesitation. 

I  expected  to  have  Munir-Bey  for  interpreter,  as  he 
is  the  usual  interpreter  in  such  cases,  but  it  was  explained 
to  me  later  that  it  would  have  been  imposing  upon 
Munir-Bey  an  extraordinary  task  to  have  made  him 
act  as  interpreter  for  an  interview  which  he  had  by 
no  means  facilitated. 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  I  said,  bowing,  as  the  Sultan  signed 
for  me  to  commence  the  conversation,  "not  to  leave 
Turkey  without  being  admitted  to  Your  Majesty's 
presence,  for,  from  all  that  I  have  seen  and  heard  here, 
I  believe  that  I  am  in  accordance  with  the  absolute  truth 
in  proclaiming  that  in  Your  Majesty  are  centred  the  great 
hope  of  this  country  and  the  most  certain  remedy 
possible  for  all  the  many  evils  from  which  it  is 
suffering." 

"I  am  very  pleased  to  see  you,"  he  answered,  "and  I 
thank  you  for  having  wished  to  judge  this  coimtry  for 
yourself,  for  in  Europe,  and  even  in  America,  every  one 
slanders  it  systematically,  without  taking  the  trouble 
to  examine  it  closely.  I  am  greatly  encouraged  in  my 
desire  to  remedy  the  evils  of  this  country  by  the  fine 
qualities  of  its  subjects  and  also  by  the  great  resources 
of  the  land.  Those  who  maintain  that  Turkey  is  incur- 
able, slander  us  deliberately,  and  as  though  on  purpose. 
What  is  required?  Ameliorations  in  our  finances,  in 
our  laws  and  in  our  administration.  I  have  already 
been  able  to  reform  the  organisation  of  the  finances  with 
regard  to  the  civil  list.     My  Government  has  not  con- 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      261 

tracted  any  fresh  loan  for  a  very  long  time,  and  I  have 
been  able  to  arrange  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  of 
the  public  debt.  The  floating  debt  is  not  as  considerable 
as  reported,  but  there  must  be  some  solution  arrived  at 
about  it,  so  that  it  may  not  be  an  ever-increasing  obstacle. 
People  are  wrong  in  representing  me  as  opposed  to  liberty. 
I  know  that  a  country  must  keep  up  with  the  times,  but 
the  excess  of  a  liberty  to  which  one  is  unaccustomed  is 
as  dangerous  as  the  absence  of  all  liberty. 

"  A  country  to  which  one  gives  liberty  which  the  people 
do  not  know  how  to  use  is  like  a  man  to  whom  one  gives 
a  gun  the  handling  of  which  he  does  not  tmderstand. 
He  kills  his  father,  mother  and  brothers,  and  then  finishes 
by  killing  himself.  We  must,  therefore,  prepare  the 
country  for  this  liberty,  and  that  is  what  I  am  trying  to 
do.  I  have  opened  schools,  and  these  are  being  multiplied. 
Education  in  its  various  developments  is  the  best  means 
of  preparing  people  for  liberty.  I  have  also  organised  an 
administrative  school,  which  has  given  very  good  results ; 
its  pupils  now  occupy  posts  in  our  administrations — 
Raghib-Bey  here  present  is  one  of  them.  You  see  the 
idea  of  making  men  capable  of  aspiring  to  liberty  and 
of  knowing  how  to  use  it  does  not  alarm  me.  Besides, 
not  one  of  our  ills  is  incurable,  and  we  have  within  us 
forces  and  qualities  which  will  facilitate  a  complete  cure. 
We  have  not  many  friends,  but  our  country  must  be 
very  fine  since  so  many  envy  it,  and  their  policy  consists 
in  discrediting  us  in  order  to  make  an  easy  prey  of  us." 

After  a  minute's  silence  he  asked : 

"  Were  you  at  the  Berlin  Congress  ?" 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty;  and  if  the  Sultan  will  allow  me 
to  say  so,   Turkey  on  that  occasion  made  one  of  her 


262  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

greatest  mistakes.  When  she  ought  to  have  been  repre- 
sented by  her  most  important  and  most  imposing 
personages,  she  was  represented  by  men  who  no  doubt 
were  very  devoted  and  well-intentioned  but  who  had  no 
authority,  who  trembled  before  Prince  Bismarck,  and 
upon  whom  he  could  impose  silence  by  a  mere  glance.  I 
do  not  know  why  this  mistake  was  made,  but  in  Berlin 
every  one  was  struck  by  it,  and  it  was  generally  thought 
that  the  Turkish  Government  had  sent  plenipotentiaries 
of  foreign  origin  so  that  the  eventual  consequences  of  the 
Berlin  Treaty  should  not  fall  upon  the  Mussulmans." 

"  Yes,  you  are  right ;  I  have  greatly  regretted  what  you 
wisely  call  a  mistake,  and  I  still  regret  it.  I  imderstood 
it  when  I  saw  that  Greeks  had  been  admitted  to  the 
Congress  who  had  no  right  to  be  there,  and  when  I  saw 
that,  in  the  face  of  their  admission,  my  plenipotentiaries 
did  not  protest  and  leave  the  meeting.  It  is  when 
nations  have  been  conquered  that  it  is  their  duty  not 
to  cheapen  their  pride.  But  we  were  in  a  painful  situa- 
tion, the  enemy  was  at  our  gates,  and  we  did  not  reckon 
much  on  the  equity  of  Europe,  for  our  friends  there 
were  not  numerous.  We  had  very  few  men  who  cared 
to  go  to  Berlin  to  affront  the  decisions  of  this  Congress, 
and  to  give  their  signatures  to  the  treaty  of  spoliation 
which  we  foresaw.  Sacrifices  were  imposed  upon  me 
then  from  which  I  am  still  suffering.  Do  you 
imagine  that  Bulgaria  and  Thessaly  are  any  happier 
at  present  than  they  were  before  their  separation? 
But  no  matter  about  that;  this  explains  the  mistake 
we  made — it  does  not  excuse  it." 

"Your  Majesty  said  that  you  did  not  count  much  on 
the  equity  of  Europe;  but  neither  England  nor  France 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      263 

have  abandoned  the  defense  of  Turkey,  and  Your  Majesty 
cannot  reproach  them  with  that." 

"  Yes ;  I  have  never  reckoned  them  among  my  enemies. 
We  have  always  sought  their  friendship,  and  in  spite  of 
all  that  has  been  done  we  have  never  failed  to  recognise 
the  necessity  of  it.  Unfortunately,  of  late  clouds  have 
arisen  between  us;  but  I  hope  that  these  clouds,  and 
particularly  the  two  chief  somber  points,  will  be  dissipated 
by  a  friendly  imderstanding." 

"Your  Majesty  is  alluding  to  Egypt  and  to  Tunis?" 

"Yes.  I  saw  with  satisfaction  that  quite  recently  the 
English  Government  seemed  disposed  to  evacuate.  Do 
you  think  that  England  will  soon  decide  to  carry  this 
into  effect?" 

"I  think.  Sire,  that  in  England  they  are  contemplat- 
ing political  evacuation ;  but,  although  every  one  is  con- 
vinced that  England  neither  proposes  annexation  nor  an 
indefinite  occupation,  one  must  take  into  consideration 
the  political  situation  of  that  country.  There  is  in 
England  a  force  which  it  is  difficult  to  appreciate  else- 
where, and  which  is  called  public  opinion.  When 
England  saw  herself  obliged  to  go  alone  to  Egypt,  it  was 
necessary  to  stimulate  this  force  in  order  to  make  it 
consent  to  a  costly  and  dangerous  expedition,  and 
at  present  it  will  be  necessary  to  allow  the  English 
Cabinet,  which  depends  on  the  public  opinion  of  the 
country,  sufficient  time  to  influence  it  and  to  make 
it  admit  that  the  occasion  has  come  for  evacuating 
Egypt.  But,  apart  from  these  two  points,  Egypt  and 
Tunis,  France  and  England  can  have  no  reservation  at 
present  with  regard  to  Turkey,  and  if  Turkey,  like  all 
nations  which  are  suffering,  had  not  become  more  dis- 


264  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

trustful  than  in  her  better  days,  she  would  understand 
that  she  can  from  henceforth  trust  herself  without 
reserve  to  the  friendship  of  these  two  nations." 

"Yes;  but  in  the  meantime  they  have  not  hesitated 
to  violate  my  rights.  It  was  a  great  trouble  to  me, 
as  I  value  their  friendship  very  highly,  and  I  fancy  that 
mine  is  not  to  be  despised  by  either  of  them.  In  so 
many  different  points  we  come  into  contact  with  each 
other,  and  a  nation  should  take  this  seriously  into 
account.  Then,  too,  friendship  between  nations  is  not 
manifested  by  diplomatic  actions  only;  it  is  shown 
also  by  the  equitable  way  in  which  it  judges  a  country. 
My  country  is  judged  superficially,  and  that  is  the  reason 
it  is  calumniated.  I  value  the  opinion  of  Europe,  and 
I  wish  that  credence  were  not  given  there  to  those  who 
amuse  themselves  with  spreading  satirical  reports  about 
us.  Your  words  will  be  heard — so  tell  them  and  prove 
to  them  that  after  observing  our  coimtry  in  an  impartial 
manner  one  has  a  better  opinion  of  it.  I  am  told 
that  you  have  seen  a  great  many  people  here,  and, 
as  you  must  be  in  the  habit  of  observing,  will  you  tell  me 
whether  you  have  drawn  any  inferences  from  what 
you  have  seen?" 

"If  Your  Majesty  will  allow  me  to  speak  frankly,  and 
I  can  scarcely  do  otherwise,  as  if  I  did  I  might  be  obliged 
to  write  to-morrow  the  contrary  of  what  I  said  to-day, 
my  opinion  is  this:  I  believe  that  every  evil  from 
which  your  country  is  suffering  could  be  remedied,  and 
easily  remedied.  But  there  are  two  difficulties :  the  first 
is,  that  all  depends  on  only  the  will  of  Your  Majesty, 
and  consequently  Your  Majesty  would  have  to  give  up 
to   a   certain    degree    this    absolute    will.     The    second 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      265 

difficulty  is,  that  if  Your  Majesty  decided  to  do  this, 
those  whom  Your  Majesty  commands  would  have  to  agree 
to  this  partial  and  progressive  abdication.  Now,  the 
curious  part  is,  that  those  who  depend  on  the  absolute 
will  of  Your  Majesty  will  probably  be  the  first  to  resist 
a  change  which  would  prevent  them  from  screening  their 
own  faults  imder  the  cover  of  the  absolute  orders  of 
their  Sovereign.  But  if  once  this  were  obtained,  if 
Your  Majesty  could  succeed  in  creating  an  administra- 
tion, with  the  capabilities  and  the  energy  necessary  for 
carrying  out  the  reforms  decided  upon,  it  would  be  an 
immense  step  toward  the  improvement  of  Turkey.  Your 
Majesty  holds  in  your  hand  all  liberty,  because  you  alone 
can  will  everything.  If  Your  Majesty  would  open  your 
hand,  little  by  little,  setting  this  liberty  gradually  free, 
in  proportion  as  the  country  is  capable  of  accepting 
and  of  using  it,  Turkey  would  rapidly  rise  from  her 
present  position. 

"  The  consolidation  of  the  floating  debt,  the  suppression 
of  the  havales,  officials  held  responsible  for  what  they 
do,  roads  opened  up  through  the  country,  courts  of  justice 
established  and  public  instruction  always  encouraged — 
these  are  the  reforms  which  would  soon  bear  fruit ;  but, 
as  I  said  before.  Your  Majesty  must  root  out  that 
spirit  of  absolute  submission  which  causes  every  offi- 
cial to  tolerate  the  continuation  of  abuses  for  which  he 
is  not  responsible." 

"  I  understand  perfectly  well  what  you  have  just  said," 
answered  the  Sultan.  "I  am  glad  to  find  that  you  do 
not  share  the  opinion  of  those  who  believe  that  this 
coimtry  cannot  recover.  As  to  what  you  say  with  regard 
to  myself,  I  am  of  your  opinion,  and  I  have  quite  decided 


266  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

to  gradually  open  my  hand.  The  difficulty  is  to  know 
just  how  far  to  go.  When  it  was  seen  that  this  country 
could  not  support  a  constitution  and  a  parliament  that 
was  not  the  entire  representation  of  the  country  but 
only  a  part  of  the  coimtry,  people  came  to  me  and  began 
to  talk  about  responsibilities.  It  was  another  way  of 
reorganising  a  constitution.  I  refused  this.  Those  who 
talked  about  responsibilities  only  saw  in  this  a  means 
of  substituting  their  will  for  mine  at  the  expense  of 
others,  and  the  consequence  would  have  been  that  the 
great  mass  of  the  country  would  only  have  changed 
from  the  will  of  one  to  that  of  another.  I  am  now 
trying,  as  you  have  just  said,  to  prepare  this  country 
for  the  more  independent  part  it  has  to  play,  and  I 
have  already  modified  many  things,  which  are  not 
remarked  abroad,  but  which  are,  however,  producing  a 
good  effect  at  home." 

Then  returning  obstinately  to  his  first  idea,  he  asked : 
"Do  you  think  that  the  English  will  soon  consent  to 
evacuate  Egypt  ? " 

"I  have  already  had  the  honour  of  replying  to  Your 
Majesty  on  this  subject,"  I  said.  "But  I  will  take  the 
liberty  of  remarking  that  England  is  in  Egypt  against 
her  will.  When  she  asked  Your  Majesty  to  go  with  her 
to  Egypt,  influenced  as  she  was  by  that  secret  dread 
which  takes  possession  of  all  who  are  laying  their  hand 
on  no  matter  what  Ottoman  territory,  she  was  absolutely 
sincere.  It  was  a  great  and  terrible  mistake  of  Turkey 
to  refuse  to  accompany  England,  thus  obliging  her  to 
go  alone,  which  meant  to  remain  there.  History  will 
consider,  with  equal  astonishment,  this  proposal  of 
England    and   Turkey's    refusal.     The  only  consolation 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN      267 

of  Turkey,  if  indeed  that  can  be  any  consolation,  is  that 
in  this  question  France  was  no  wiser  than  she  was." 

I  knew  perfectly  well  that  I  had  just  attacked  the 
Sultan  direct.  Not  only  had  Abdul-Hamid  been  the 
principal  author  of  Turkey's  refusal,  but  he  had  refused 
to  listen  to  the  most  trustworthy  counsel;  and  for  fear 
of  displeasing  the  Mussulmans,  a  fear  which  was  chimerical, 
far-fetched  and  not  at  all  justified,  Abdul-Hamid  missed 
an  opportunity,  perhaps  unique,  of  changing  the  char- 
acter of  the  Egyptian  occupation  and  of  maintaining 
an  uncontested  supremacy  over  the  Delta  of  the  Nile. 

I,  therefore,  awaited  his  reply  with  some  impatience. 
I  thought,  or  rather  I  feared,  that  he  would  bring  forward 
some  of  those  subtle  arguments  which  the  organs  of  the 
Ottoman  press  have  endeavoured  to  circulate  in  order 
to  attenuate  the  effect  of  the  refusal  of  the  Porte.  But 
Abdul-Hamid,  I  repeat  and  I  proclaim  it,  is  a  man  of 
superior  mind,  who,  when  he  is  struck  by  sound  reasoning 
is  perhaps  annoyed,  but  at  the  same  time  is  influenced 
by  it.  As  he  had  no  good  arguments  to  offer,  and  he 
would  not  stoop  to  poor  ones,  he  did  not  reply,  but 
changed  the  subject.  This  was,  as  any  one  can  see,  a 
tacit  approval  of  what  I  had  just  said,  and  I  learned, 
later  on,  that  it  was  to  be  interpreted  in  this  way. 

"When  are  you  leaving?"  he  asked. 

"To-morrow,  Your  Majesty." 

"So  soon!  I  am  sorry  you  are  not  staying  longer. 
But  I  should  like  you  to  bear  in  mind  that,  if  you  write 
to  me,  either  about  things  that  have  happened  or  about 
current  topics,  I  will  answer  you.  If,  for  State  reasons, 
I  am  imable  to,  I  will  tell  you  plainly  that  I  cannot  do  so. 
Take  note,  too,  that  if  ever  you  come  again  to  Constanti- 


268  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

nople,  you  must  come  the  very  day  of  your  arrival  to 
see  me.  You  have  only  to  say  that  it  was  my  wish  that 
you  should  come,  that  it  was  by  my  order  you  asked  to 
see  me,  and  I  promise  you  that  I  will  receive  you.  And, 
as  I  am  now  talking  to  some  one  who  understands  the 
gravity  of  the  mission  confided  to  the  journalist  who 
endeavours  to  find  out  the  truth  and  to  publish  it, 
remember  that  I  do  not  wish  to  suppress  existing  liber- 
ties, but  to  give  new  liberties;  that  I  do  not  wish  to 
increase  the  financial  troubles  of  my  empire,  but  to 
remedy  them;  and  that  I  do  not  wish  to  suppress  justice, 
but  to  establish  and  consolidate  it.  Remember  that  this 
nation,  which  bears  in  itself  those  causes  of  its  weakness, 
also  contains  the  elements  of  great  strength,  and  that  I 
wish  to  cure  the  former  and  make  use  of  the  latter. " 

Abdul-Hamid  rose,  and  at  this  moment  there  was  an 
expression  in  his  eyes  which  showed  that  he  was  deeply 
moved.  I  quite  understood  that  he  felt  sincerely  what 
he  had  just  been  saying  to  me,  but  that  at  the  same  time 
he  saw  rising  up  before  him  all  the  obstacles  which  stood 
between  his  plans  and  their  realisation.  He  had  just 
been  pleading,  as  it  were,  to  a  European  journalist,  the 
cause  of  his  race  and  of  his  people,  and  a  struggle  was 
perhaps  going  on  within  him  between  the  duty  of  the 
monarch  and  the  pride  of  the  Calif.  It  did  not  last  long, 
though.  Abdul-Hamid  drew  himself  up,  went  a  few 
steps  with  me,  and  then,  taking  my  hand  in  his,  held 
it  a  few  minutes  while  he  spoke. 

"  His  Majesty  thanks  you  for  your  visit,  which  he  will 
remember  with  pleasure,"  interpreted  Raghib  Bey, 
"and  he  begs  you  to  accept  this  in  memory  of  this 
conversation. " 


MY  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  SULTAN       269 

He  handed  me  a  book  containing  the  insignia  of  the 
second  order  of  the  Medjidie,  just  as  I  had  bowed  to 
Abdul-Hamid  for  the  second  time  at  the  door  of  the 
room  in  which  he  had  received  me. 

I  found  my  friends  where  I  had  left  them.  They  were 
rather  surprised  at  my  long  absence.  I  explained  to 
them  what  had  happened,  and  we  decided  to  go  to 
Osman-Bey,  the  First  Chamberlain,  and  present  my 
thanks  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country. 

Osman-Bey,  one  of  the  most  enlightened  Turks,  who 
has  established  and  endowed  the  largest  existing  printing 
works  in  the  Ottoman  Empire,  received  me  with  the 
affability  peculiar  to  Turks  of  the  educated  class,  and, 
after  offering  us  coffee,  called  one  of  his  officials,  who 
appeared  to  be  accustomed  to  this  duty,  to  fasten  on 
the  right  side  of  my  coat  and  to  place  arotmd  my  neck, 
in  spite  of  my  tourist's  costume,  the  insignia  of  my  new 
dignity,  so  that,  as  Osman-Bey  said,  according  to  the 
prescribed  formula,  "the  will  of  the  Sultan  may  be  ac- 
complished. " 

I  then  left  the  Yildiz-Kiosque  with  my  friends.  The 
numerous  Turks  whom  we  met  saluted  me  respectfully 
without  appearing  astonished  at  my  accouterments, 
w^hich  made  me  feel  somewhat  embarrassed. 

The  guards  of  the  palace  shouldered  arms,  and  as  I 
passed  through  the  last  gateway  I  perceived  a  crowd  of 
persons  looking  at  me.  They  understood  that  I  had  just 
had  an  interview  with  the  Sultan.  But  I  could  not 
refrain  from  saying  to  myself : 

"I  only  hope  that  no  caricaturist  will  catch  sight  of 
me!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Exile  of  the  French  Princes 

There  is  no  regime  and  no  government  which  at  some 
time  or  another  does  not  make  a  mistake,  and  I  beHeve 
that  a  grave  error  was  committed  by  the  French  Republic 
when,  in  May,  1886,  it  decided  to  expel  from  the  country 
the  Princes  belonging  to  the  dynasties  which  had  reigned 
over  France;  the  Count  de  Paris  and  his  son,  the  Duke 
d'Orleans,  on  the  one  side,  and  Prince  Jerome  Napoleon 
and  his  son.  Prince  Victor  Napoleon,  on  the  other.  I 
think  it  was  a  mistake  because,  in  the  first  place,  when 
a  democratic  government  inscribes  on  the  walls  of  its 
public  buildings  the  great  word  "Liberty,"  its  desire 
should  be  to  have  liberty  exist  not  only  for,  but  also 
against,  itself;  in  the  second  place,  because  exile  is  a 
barbarous  punishment  which  ought  to  disappear  from 
the  customs  of  contemporary  civilisation;  and  lastly, 
because,  by  exiling  the  Princes,  to  whom^ahe  had  hitherto 
shown  hospitality,  the  French  Republic  thereby  gave  them 
the  right  to  conspire  against  her.  She  could  no  longer 
appeal  to  their  sentiments  of  honour  to  respect  the  order 
of  established  things ;  she  placed  them  in  the  best  position 
that  claimants  to  the  throne  could  wish — that  of  being 
able  to  conspire  at  their  ease. 

Without  paradox,  I  say  that  if  I  were  the  government, 
it  seems  to  me  that  for  my  own  personal  tranquillity,  I 

270 


EXILE    OF   THE    FRENCH    PRINCES      271 

should  allow  myself  the  luxury  of  having  in  my  coimtry  a 
pretender  as  a  hostage. 

•  •  •  •  •  •  • 

Now,  the  Coimt  de  Paris,  in  particular,  the  heir  to  the 
throne  of  Louis  Philippe,  could  not  be  considered  as  a 
very  dangerous  pretender.  Tall  and  strong,  with  a 
frank,  placid  sort  of  face,  intelligent,  loyal  but  not  bright 
eyes,  a  firm-looking  mouth,  which  had  a  kind  but  not 
melancholy  expression,  sturdy  on  his  legs,  but  with  a 
slight  stoop,  his  shoulders  square  but  sloping,  his  physical 
appearance  was,  on  the  whole,  more  that  of  a  bourgeois 
than  of  a  candidate  for  the  crown. 

He  delighted  in  work  of  a  long  and  serious  nature,  and 
loved  social  problems  the  solutions  of  which  are  liable 
to  demand  a  lifetime. 

It  was  with  veritable  enthusiasm  that  he  penned  a 
voluminous  work  on  the  American  Civil  War,  and,  on 
the  2ist  of  July,  1874,  he  wrote  me  a  long  letter  on 
that  subject  from  which  I  quote  the  following  character- 
istic passage : 

"I  have,"  he  said,  "found  great  satisfaction,  in  the 
midst  of  my  trials  during  the  last  few  years,  in  accom- 
plishing this  work,  which  has  been  considerable,  and  in 
placing  on  the  scene,  after  conscientious  researches  for 
historical  truth,  actors  who  are  most  of  them  known 
to  me  personally.  I  have  found  in  this  an  occupation 
during  my  exile,  something  to  refresh  my  mind  at  critical 
moments.  It  was  not  for  the  sake  of  bringing  back 
my  vanished  illusions,  nor  with  the  idea  of  turning  my 
thoughts  from  the  present  to  the  past,  that  I  have  con- 
tinued this  work,  which  I  commenced  a  long  time  ago. 


2  72  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

What  illusions  could  I  have  lost  ?  My  confidence  in  the 
future,  my  conviction  that  my  country  will  recover 
morally,  outlive  in  my  mind  all  the  vicissitudes  it  has 
experienced.  And  if  my  thoughts  turn  often  toward 
America,  it  is  in  order  to  recall  to  memory  the  crisis 
which  I  witnessed,  the  discouragement  and  trouble  which 
in  those  difficult  times  seemed  to  have  taken  possession 
of  all  hearts,  the  gloomy  predictions  which  I  heard  on 
all  sides,  and  to  say  to  myself  that,  after  all,  the  day 
came  when  those  who  had  reasoned  calmly  saw  their 
patriotic  confidence  justified  in  a  most  brilliant  manner." 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  whole  character  of  the  Coimt 
de  Paris  was  reflected  in  that  letter.  He  was  waiting 
without  eagerness  or  regret  for  the  hour  that  Providence 
should  decree  for  him  to  ascend  the  throne.  He  had 
very  few  illusions  and  a  kind  of  vague  presentiment  that 
that  hour  would  never  arrive  for  him.  He  was  an  enemy, 
not  only  of  violent  means,  but  even  of  all  noise  and 
agitation.  It  seemed  as  though  he  were  destined  to 
end  his  days  peacefully. 

This  was  the  precise  moment  chosen  by  the  Republic 
to  place  roimd  the  forehead  of  this  "model  pretender" 
the  halo  of  exile. 


As  soon  as  I  heard  that  the  bill  for  the  expulsion  of 
the  French  Princes  had  been  introduced  into  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  I  went  to  the  Chateau  d'Eu  in  Normandy, 
where  the  Coimt  de  Paris  and  all  his  family  were  then 
residing. 

I  had  already  had  the  honour  of  seeing  the  heir  to 


EXILE    OF    THE    FRENCH    PRINCES      273 

the  throne  of  Louis-Philippe  several  times,  and  we  had 
kept  up  a  rather  lengthy  correspondence  with  each  other. 
As  soon  as  I  asked  for  an  audience,  he  accorded  it  willingly. 
He  received  me  in  his  library  in  the  midst  of  his  books 
and  of  the  telegrams  of  sympathy  which  were  pouring 
in  upon  his  table  from  all  parts  of  France. 

I  assured  him  that  I  had  not  come  for  an  interview, 
but  to  express  to  him  how  grieved  I  was  personally  at 
the  thought  of  the  terrible  exile  with  which  he  was 
threatened. 

"Oh!"  he  answered,  "in  this  circimistance,  as  in  so 
many  others,  there  is  no  need  for  me  to  ask  you  to  keep 
our  meeting  secret.  '  When  I  heard  at  Tale  vera  that 
the  bill  of  expulsion  had  been  laid  l^efore  the 
Chamber,  it  was  not  of  myself  that  I  first  thought, 
nor  yet  of  my  family.  I  thought  of  my  country,  and  I 
felt  a  great  sadness  come  over  me  at  the  idea  that, 
after  a  hundred  years  of  struggle  and  discord,  the  era 
of  proscription  had  not  yet  closed,  and  that  the  children 
of  France  should  be  seen  wandering  about  in  a  foreign 
land  without  any  home." 

"And  where  do  you  think  of  going,  monseigneur," 
I  asked,  "if,  as  seems  probable,  the  bill  should  pass  as 
regards  you  and  the  Duke  d'Orleans?" 

"I  have  not  yet  definitely  decided,  but  I  think  very 
seriously  of  going  to  England.  I  have  received  from  that 
country  so  many  and  such  inviting  proofs  of  general 
sympathy,  and  I  have  such  touching  letters  from  persons 
that  I  do  not  even  know,  that  at  present  it  will  be  difficult 
for  me  to  seek  refuge  elsewhere.  I  cannot  go  to  Germany ; 
Austria  would  be  too  far  away  from  our  beloved  France ; 
and  I  know  only  too  well,  from  a  certain  experience  that 


2  74  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de  BLOWITZ 

I  have  not  yet  had  time  to  forget,  that  London  is  the 
centre  of  information — so  that  I  am  very  much  drawn 
toward  it. 

"  I  thought  of  Switzerland,  but  I  can  go  there  later  on, 
for  I  do  not  intend  to  stay  definitely  in  any  fixed  place.  I 
have  no  intention  of  buying  a  house  or  of  settling  down 
for  good.  Formerly,  when  in  exile,  I  chose  a  fixed 
residence,  because  circumstances  were  then  different.  I 
was  not  at  that  time  the  imcontested  head  of  the  House 
of  France,  so  that  I  could  then  wait,  without  failing  in 
any  duty,  for  events  to  take  place.  At  present  it  is 
not  the  same  thing,  and  I  do  not  give  up  hope  of  seeing 
my  country  again,  for,  even  under  its  present  form,  I 
cannot  believe  that  this  persecution  will  continue  and 
that  France  will  not  reopen  her  doors  to  all  her 
children. 

"That  is  why  I  do  not  wish  to  settle  down  definitely. 
I  shall  go  away  and  we  shall  try  to  imagine  that  we  are 
travelling;  we  shall  change  our  abode  without  changing 
our  hopes." 

"Is  it  true,  monseigneur,  that  a  General  said  to  you  at 
thexeception  on  the  15th  of  May,  'Monseigneur,  you  have 
not  only  soldiers,  but  an  army?'" 

"  Such  a  remark  was  never  made  to  me.  Besides,  there 
were  on  the  occasion,  only  two  Generals  present,  both  of 
whom  were  retired  officers,  and  neither  of  them  had  any 
conversation  with  me — neither  of  them  uttered  the 
phrase  you  mention.  A  great  many  reports  were  spread 
on  that  occasion,  and  many  pretexts  were  sought  for. 
I  was  told  that  the  Premier  had  taken  exception  to  my 
having  invited  some  Ambassadors.  I  could  not  have 
advised  him  of  the  fact,  for  that  would  have  been  giving 


EXILE    OF    THE    FRENCH    PRINCES      275 

to  my  invitations  a  political  character  they  did  not 
have.  I  did  not  invite  the  diplomatic  corps;  I  simply 
invited  to  a  family  party  some  diplomats  who  were  my 
personal  friends. 

"  I  had  known  Lord  Lyons,  for  instance,  for  twenty-five 
years  and  had  always  been  on  friendly  terms  with  him. 
It  would  have  been  giving  a  political  character  to  my 
invitations  if  I  had  excluded  Lord  Lyons  because  he  was 
the  Ambassador  of  England.  I  have  also  been  blamed 
for  certain  newspaper  articles.  That  merely  shows  how 
short  of  arguments  some  people  were.  I  neither  knew  of 
nor  yet  did  I  inspire  these  articles,  otherwise  I  should 
have  said  to  their  authors,  as  I  have  said  to  all  my  friends : 
'Do  not  let  any  one  misrepresent  the  character  of  this  fete. 
I  am  the  father  of  a  family  inviting  his  friends,  and  this 
little  reunion  has  not  been  prompted  by  any  other  idea.'  " 

" Monseigneur, "  I  said,  "as  it  is  probable  the  bill  will 
be  passed  by  which  you  alone  and  the  Duke  d' Orleans 
will  be  exiled,  and  the  other  Princes  will  be  allowed  to 
remain  in  a  more  or  less  tolerable  position — will  these 
Princes  follow  you?" 

"  I  have  just  communicated  to  my  brother  my  formal 
desire  that  he  should  remain,  since  he  has  a  right  to  do  so. 
I  particularly  wish  him  to  stay  here  where  I  can  no 
longer  reside;  I  particularly  desire  that  he  should  live  in 
the  land  from  which  I  am  exiled.  I  have  already  told 
you  I  do  not  intend  to  take  up  any  fixed  abode, 

"  I  cannot  expect  that  he  should  travel  about  with  me, 
and  make  his  home  in  the  places  where  I  stay  according 
to  circumstances  or  according  to  my  preferences.  It  will 
be  a  consolation  to  me  to  feel  that  he  is  here,  and  I  know 
too  well  his  affection  for  me  not  to  be  compelled  to  act 


2  76  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

with  authority  in  order  to  insist  on  his  staying  in  France. 
A  great  deal  has  been  said  about  the  Duke  d'Aumale. 
When  he  learned  the  way  in  which  his  defense  had 
been  taken  in  order  to  save  him  from  exile  he  was  very 
bitter.  He  came  at  once  to  see  me  and  he  made  no  secret 
of  his  visit. 

"  It  was  the  best  and,  indeed,  the  only  way  to  reply  to 
those  who  wished  to  prove  that  they  were  right  in  insist- 
ing that  he  should  be  allowed  to  remain  in  France.  I 
will  say  of  him  what  I  said  about  the  Duke  de  Chartres : 
I  cannot  compel  him  to  go  wandering  about.  He  has 
not,  as  I  have,  the  duties  of  the  exceptional  situation 
which  this  law  demands  of  me;  it  treats  me  in  such  a 
distinctly  exclusive  manner  that  if  I  had  adopted  it 
myself  it  would  have  been  imputed  to  me  as  a  crime. 
By  separating  me  from  the  rest  of  my  family,  they 
qualify  me  in  a  more  ostensible  way  than  I  should  ever 
have  done,  and  if  my  pride  were  greater  than  my  love  of 
my  country  I  should  be  now  delighted.  As  to  the  other 
Princes,  they  have  never  troubled  about  politics,  but 
have  remained  content  with  serving  their  fatherland. 
It  is  only  just,  therefore,  that  they  should  be  held 
blameless  of  any  crime,  and  it  would  be  strange  if  I 
were  to  show  myself  more  exacting  toward  them  than 
are  our  adversaries." 

"  People  say,  monseigneur,  that  you  wanted  to  wait 
imtil  you  were  expelled  by  force  instead  of  obeying  a 
simple  order." 

"They  do  not  know  me  well  who  say  that.  I  can  see 
only  two  ways  of  proceeding.  Three  centuries  ago  a 
Prince  in  my  situation  would  have  killed  any  one  who 
had  come  with  such  an  order,  and  would  have  rushed 


EXILE    OF    THE    FRENCH    PRINCES       277 

off  to  the  country  with  his  comrades  to  start  a  civil  war. 
But  that  is  neither  in  accordance  with  my  character  nor 
with  our  times.  I  shall  obey  the  law.  I  owe  that  to 
my  friends  and  I  owe  it  to  my  adversaries.  I  owe  it  to 
my  country,  too,  for  it  is  being  taught  to  scorn  the  law. 
I  shall  depart  in  obedience  to  the  law,  of  which  I  shall  be 
duly  informed." 

"Shall  you  keep  the  day  of  youi  departure  a  secret, 
monseigneur  ?" 

"No;  certainly  not.  Unless  I  am  obliged  to  act 
differently,  I  shall  start  by  daylight,  and  I  know  my 
friends  well  enough  to  be  sure  that  when  I  take  leave  of 
them  they  will  all  act  in  a  dignified  way,  as  becomes  the 
friends  of  an  exiled  family  dear  to  them.  I  shall  be 
glad  to  shake  hands  with  those  who  come  to  see  me  off, 
but  when  the  moment  arrives,  it  is  for  consolation  that 
I  shall  look  rather  than  for  noisy  demonstrations." 

I  have  taken  care  to  reproduce  the  Count's  exact 
words;  in  the  first  place,  because  they  do  him  honour, 
and  in  the  second  place,  because  he  adhered  to  them 
scrupulously. 

When,  on  the  22nd  of  June,  1886,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  in  the  same  library  where  he  had  spoken 
to  me  of  his  plans  when  in  exile,  the  Count  de  Paris 
received  the  decisive  telegram  announcing  that  by  a 
majority  of  thirty-seven  votes  the  Senate  had  ratified 
the  decision  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  and  voted  his 
exile,  he  showed  no  sign  of  anger  or  revolt. 

He  went  down  into  the  large  salon,  where  all  the 
Princes  of  France  were  anxiously  awaiting  him,  and, 
handing  the  telegram  to  the  Duke  d'Aimiale,  he  simply 
remarked : 


2  78  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

"The  bill  is  adopted  in  its  entirety  by  a  majority  of 
thirty-seven  votes.     We  start  the  day  after  to-morrow." 

And  on  the  second  day,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, the  piers  being  black  with  people,  an  English  boat, 
which  had  hoisted  on  its  mainmast  the  tricoloured  flag, 
sailed  slowly  away  from  the  Treport  quay. 

I  can  still  see  that  scene.  The  sim  was  shining  bril- 
liantly and  the  deck  of  the  boat  was  covered  with  flowers. 
On  the  bridge  stood  a  man,  bareheaded,  his  handkerchief 
in  his  hand,  his  head  bent  slightly  sideways  over  his 
shoulder.  His  figure,  which  usually  had  a  slight  stoop, 
was  now  erect,  making  him  look  taller.  It  was  the 
Count  de  Paris  leaving  for  England — an  exile. 

For  a  long  time  he  remained  thus  standing  on  the 
bridge,  gazing  at  the  simny  shores  of  France  from  which 
he  had  just  been  torn  away;  and  it  seemed  as  though 
his  eyes  wanted  to  take  in  every  bend  of  the  coast  in 
order  to  engrave  it  forever  on  his  memory.  Perhaps, 
since  he  had  the  conviction  that  he  would  never  reign 
over  this  coimtry,  had  he  also  at  that  solemn  hour  a 
presentiment  that  in  all  his  life  he  would  never  again  see 
the  land  of  France  ? 


CHAPTER  XV 

San  Remo 

I  DOUBT  if  in  modern  times,  or  perhaps  even  in  the 
past,  a  greater  or  more  impressive,  more  effectingly 
tragic  episode  has  ever  taken  place  than  that  of  which 
the  marvellous  region  of  the  Cote  d'Azur,  by  the  shore 
of  the  eternally  blue  Mediterranean,  was  the  scene  during 
the  winter  of  1887-88. 

On  the  frontier  which  separates  France  and  Italy,  in 
the  delicious  little  town  of  San  Remo,  among  the  palms 
and  the  orange  trees  in  blossom,  there,  in  the  sunlight 
and  the  fragrance  which  bathed  the  white  city,  a  man 
whom  suffering  had  vanquished  was  slowly  dying.  He 
was  the  son  of  the  old  Emperor  William  I.  and  son-in-law 
of  Queen  Victoria.  I  refer  to  the  Crown  Prince,  Frederick 
William. 

The  whole  world  had  its  eyes  fixed  on  this  town  and 
on  this  man.  With  anxious  curiosity  everybody  was 
watching  the  frightful  struggle  in  progress  there,  the 
object  of  which  was  to  prolong  the  life  of  the  doomed 
heir  to  a  throne.  Would  he  live  long  enough  to  become 
Emperor?  Would  he  have  the  strength  to  traverse  the 
little  space  separating  him  from  one  of  the  greatest 
thrones  on  earth?  Who  would  be  the  first  to  die,  the 
old  Emperor,  enfeebled  by  age,  or  his  son,  enfeebled 
by  sickness  ?  Who  would  be  Emperor,  the  Crown  Prince 
Frederick  or  the    young    man,   ardent,   impetuous    and 

279 


28o  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

impatient,  known  as  Prince  William?  All  the  world 
over  these  were  the  questions  that  people  were  asking 
themselves    and  to  which  they  were  awaiting  a  reply. 

San  Remo  had,  one  might  almost  say,  been  taken  by 
storm  by  reporters  from  every  country  immediately 
after  the  arrival  of  the  Crown  Prince  there.  Opposite 
his  villa  was  a  hotel,  the  Hotel  de  la  Mediterranee.  People 
almost  came  to  blows  in  order  to  secure  a  front  room  there. 
Certain  American  papers  had  sent  out  young  ladies  as 
reporters,  relying  on  their  sex  for  procuring  them  certain 
privileges.  These  ladies  from  morning  to  night  kept 
levelling  their  photographic  apparatus  at  the  villa,  the 
garden,  and  more  especially  at  the  balcony  on  which,  in 
the  afternoon,  Frederick  William  was  wont  to  try  to 
soothe  his  suffering  as  he  listened  to  the  somewhat 
distant  murmur  of  the  sea.  To  protect  him  against  this 
inquisitorial  examination,  a  high  wall  of  verdure  had  been 
constructed,  and  on  the  balcony  a  screen  had  been 
placed.  But  this  was  all  so  much  time  and  trouble  thrown 
away.  The  reporters,  men  and  women  alike,  ascended 
to  the  roof  of  the  hotel,  and  from  that  vantage  point, 
plunging  their  vision  beyond  both  screen  and  wall  of 
verdure,  photographed  and  gazed  and  listened  to  their 
hearts'  content. 

Yet  they  obtained  little  enough.  No  one,  at  all  events, 
had  the  slightest  inkling  of  what  was  taking  place  in  the 
interior  of  the  villa,  whither  no  outsider  had  been  allowed 
to  penetrate.  The  occupants,  orderly  officers,  doctors, 
maids  of  honour,  servants,  were  all  extremely  discreet. 
Not  the  slighest  echo  escaped  by  the  windows;  not  a 
morsel  of  gossip  issued  by  the  door.  Reporters  and 
journalists  remained  in  an  ignorance  anything  but  blissful. 


SAN   REMO  281 

and  telegraphed  nothing  of  importance.  As  one  of  them, 
a  Frenchman,  remarked: 

"So  little  is  known  as  to  what  is  going  on  around  the 
Crown  Prince  that  it  is  impossible  even  to  exaggerate  or 
to  give  play  to  one's  imagination. " 

I  myself,  happening  to  be  at  Monte  Carlo,  had  gone 
over  to  San  Remo,  and  had  striven  to  penetrate  a  little 
the  mystery,  to  raise  a  comer  of  the  veil,  to  bring  back  a 
few  echoes  of  the  tragedy  which  was  evidently  taking 
place — which  I  felt  certain  was  going  on  behind  the  walls 
of  verdure.  But  I  had  completely  failed,  and  had  left 
San  Remo  disappointed,  irritated,  but  haunted  by  the 
image  of  this  villa,  picturesquely  suspended  in  its  garden 
of  verdure,  but  tantalisingly  mute  and  as  enigmatic  as  a 
sphinx. 

One  morning,  however,  in  the  first  week  of  March, 
1888,  I  found  among  my  correspondence  a  letter  with 
a  mauve  envelope. 

I  recall  vividly  even  now  its  very  form  and  colour. 
The  letter  was  in  a  large  and  fine  feminine  handwriting. 
It  contained  only  four  lines,  as  follows: 

"If  you  wish  to  know  all  about  the  tragedy  of  San 
Remo,  why  do  you  not  try  to  find  Madame  Zirio?" 

More  than  once  during  my  long  and  adventurous 
existence  I  have  received  just  such  mysterious  and 
anonymous  suggestions.  They  were  not  always  written 
on  mauve  letter-paper,  nor  did  they  always  emanate 
from  a  feminine  hand.  According  to  my  humour 
at   the   time,    or  to  the  presentiment   I   felt,  or  to  the 


282  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

sensations  aroused  in  me,  I  either  flung  them  into  the 
waste-paper  basket  or  religiously  heeded  their  contents. 
And  when  I  adopted  the  latter  resolution  I  never  had 
cause  to  regret  it. 

I  remembered  quite  well  the  name  of  Madame  Zirio, 
whom  I  had  met  once  in  the  south  of  France.  She  was  a 
tall,  handsome  woman,  with  bright,  honest  eyes,  a  delicate 
yet  energetic  mouth,  and  brilliant,  black  hair,  in  which, 
like  the  women  of  Catalonia,  she  often  wore  a  large 
fantastic  comb.  Her  whole  bearing,  thanks  to  her 
Marseilles  extraction,  betrayed  the  suppleness  of  the 
Phocians  and  the  wavy  motion  of  the  Greeks.  She  was 
married  to  an  Italian,  M,  Baptiste  Zirio,  who  was  always 
ill,  and  I  was  unable  to  make  out  what  possible  connec- 
tion there  could  be  between  her  and  the  dying  heir  of  the 
German  Empire.  Yet  I  felt  a  presentiment  bidding  me, 
"  Go  ! " — and  I  went.  The  same  evening  I  packed  my  bag 
and  boarded  the  Mediterranean  Express  for  San  Remo. 

When  there,  I  discovered  without  difficulty  the  little 
house  occupied  by  Madame  Zirio.  I  rang  the  doorbell 
and  was  ushered  in.  It  was  only  after  I  found  myself 
seated  in  this  lady's  drawing-room  that  the  humour  of 
the  situation  struck  me,  and  that  I  began  to  wonder  how 
I  should  explain  my  position  to  my  hostess. 

I  concluded  that  the  simplest  means  were  the  best, 
and  when  Madame  Zirio  appeared  and  we  had  exchanged 
compliments  I  showed  her  the  mauve  letter. 

She  blushed  a  little  and  then  turned  pale. 

"It  is  really  strange, "  she  said.  "I,  too,  received  a 
letter  yesterday  almost  identical  with  this  one.  The 
handwriting  was  very  much  like  this  and  the  colour  of 
the  paper  was  the  same.     Mine  also  contained  four  lines : 


SAN   REMO  283 

'If  you  receive  the  visit  of  a  celebrated  journalist,  why 
not  tell  him  the  truth  about  the  tragedy  of  San  Remo?'  " 


The  coincidence  was,  to  say  the  least,  odd.  I  hastened 
to  add  that  the  mysterious  person  who  had  sent  these  two 
letters  certainly  knew  what  she  was  about,  for  Madame 
Zirio,  whose  name  had  hitherto  been  pronounced  by  no 
one  in  the  world,  whose  very  existence  was  unsuspected  by 
any  journalist,  was,  in  reality,  the  proprietor  of  the  white 
villa  occupied  by  the  Crown  Priace  Frederick.  It  was 
she  who  had  supervised  all  the  preparations  and  who, 
having  only  five  weeks  allotted  her,  had  engaged  and 
trained  the  admirably  discreet  corps  of  attendants,  from 
whom  no  one  at  San  Remo  had  been  able  to  extract  the 
slightest  information.  It  was  she  who  had  daily  access 
to  the  interior  of  the  princely  habitation  and  who  was 
consulted  hourly,  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  as  to  what 
had  to  be  done ;  and  it  was  she  to  whom  Prince  William 
had  paid  a  visit  during  his  forty-eight  hours'  stay  at 
San  Remo,  and  to  whom,  in  token  of  his  gratitude 
and  friendship,  he  had  even  given  his  photograph 
with   a   dedication. 

Madame  Zirio  had  herself  arranged  the  apartments. 
The  ground  floor  was  used  as  a  general  drawing-room 
and  dining-room  The  first  floor  was  occupied  by  the 
Crown  Prince  and  his  wife.  A  large  bedroom,  with  two 
small  beds  exactly  alike,  communicated  by  a  large 
dressing-room  and  by  a  small  corridor  with  the  apart- 
ments  of   the    Maid   of  Honour,  Countess  of  Briihl. 

On  the  second  floor  were  the  apartments  of  the  Prin- 
cesses, Princess  Victoria,  who  was  engaged  to  Prince  Alex- 
ander of  Battenberg,  and  who,  displaying  her  hands,  which 


284  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

were  interminably  long,  said  with  a  laugh,  in  French, 
"Moi  fat  desHohenzollerns  les  mains,  les  pieds  et  les  oreilles, 
c'est  enorme,"  and  Princess  Sophie,  who  on  the  eve  of 
her  return  to  Berlin  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  leave,  for  I 
was  almost  forgetting  here  that  I  am  a  royal  Princess." 

The  Crown  Prince  was  so  delighted  with  the  house 
when  he  first  entered  it  that,  after  almost  joyfully  raising 
his  cap  and  throwing  aside  his  long,  brown  ulster,  he 
exclaimed  to  Madame  Zirio:  "I  am  touched  by  the 
attentive  way  in  which  everything  has  been  arranged  for 
our  stay  here.  One  feels  that  it  is  the  eye  of  a  woman, 
and  the  eye  of  a  woman  of  this  lovely  coast,  which  has 
watched  over  everything  for  us." 

And  seated  there  in  Madame  Zirio's  drawing-room, 
only  a  few  steps  from  the  white  villa  and  near  the  blue 
sea,  my  hostess,  obeying  the  mysterious  letter  on  the 
mauve  paper,  related  to  me  what  was  called  "The 
Tragedy  of  San  Remo. " 

•  •  •  •  •  •  • 

It  was  indeed  a  veritable  tragedy,  and  behind  the 
peaceful  walls  of  the  sunlit  house  there  were  some  terrible 
struggles  and  certain  frightful  rivalries.  The  sick  man 
had  brought  with  him  German  doctors,  among  whom 
was  Professor  Bergmann,  and  English  doctors,  the  most 
prominent  of  the  number  being  Sir  Morell  Mackenzie; 
and  between  these  doctors  the  quarrels  were  almost 
dramatic  in  their  intensity.  At  the  outset  the  Germans 
held  their  peace,  relatively  speaking;  but  later  on  they 
expressed  their  opinions  of  Sir  Morell  Mackenzie  with  a 
brutal  want  of  self-control,  even  going  so  far  as  to  say 
that  he  furnished  information  to  the  press,  and  that  on 
this   information   he   speculated   on   the    Bourse.     The 


SAN   REMO  285 

servants  and  attendants  were  all  either  German  or 
English  and  reflected  the  dissensions  of  the  doctors. 
Count  von  Seckendorff ,  who  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  a 
dark  room,  into  which  the  sun  never  penetrated,  on  the 
ground  floor,  was  the  inflexible  partisan  of  the  royal 
Princess,  while  Count  Radolinski  sided  with  the  Germans. 

Between  the  two  parties  there  was  not  one  single  mo- 
ment of  truce.  The  struggle  was  somber  and  silent,  but 
it  was  visible  on  any  and  every  occasion.  The  two 
camps  attacked  and  dishonoured  each  other.  When  the 
moment  arrived  to  perform  the  operation  of  tracheotomy, 
the  wretched  battle  continued  even  around  the  tube 
which  was  to  prolong  the  agony  of  Frederick  III.  The 
German  doctors  wanted  a  German  tube;  the  English 
doctors  an  English  one.  Finally,  imder  the  direction  of 
the  famous  American  doctor,  Thomas  Evans,  a  gold- 
smith constructed  the  model  which  was  adopted. 

On  the  9th  of  November,  1887,  at  6:30  p.  m.,  another 
element  of  tragedy  heightened  the  dramatic  character 
of  the  situation.  Prince  William  of  Prussia  arrived  at 
San  Remo.  The  local  authorities,  Prince  Henry,  his 
brother,  and  the  aides-de-camp  awaited  him.  With  his 
characteristic  impulsiveness.  Prince  Henry  rushed  for- 
ward to  throw  himself  into  his  brother's  arms.  Prince 
William  stopped  him  with  a  haughtiness  that  did  not 
escape  observation.  His  face  was  grave  and  he  looked 
sedate  and  hierarchic.  The  smiles  vanished  from  the 
lips  of  the  onlookers  and  the  veil  of  sadness  seemed 
still  heavier. 

During  his  visit,  which  lasted  forty-eight  hours. 
Prince  William  saw  very  little  of  his  father,  if,  indeed,  he 
saw  him  at  all.     But  he  had  a  long  talk  with  the  German 


2  86 


MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 


doctors,  displaying  toward  their  English  colleagues 
either  disdain  or  utter  indifference. 

"My  mother,"  he  said,  "is  really  very  shortsighted  in 
substituting  English  for  German  science.  Bismarck,  who 
never  makes  a  mistake,  considers  German  science  superior 
to  all  other." 

He  went  with  his  brother  and  sisters  on  a  few  short 
sea  trips,  which  was  his  way  of  spending  the  afternoon, 
and  appeared  quite  gay,  as  though  he  had  nothing 
whatever  to  worry  him. 

"You  see,"  he  said,  "it  is  better  to  have  only  boys, 
for  a  girl  gives  much  more  trouble  and  is  a  great 
deal  more  expensive.  One  must  have  a  governess  for 
her,  a  maid  of  honour  and  quite  a  complicated  house- 
hold, whereas  boys  can  be  dressed  all  alike  in  uniform. 
One  piece  of  stuff  serves  for  them  all.  My  boys  are  all 
dressed  as  gunners,  even  the  youngest,  who  is  only 
eighteen  months,  and  who  is  corporal.  On  his  last 
birthday  I  took  command  of  his  company  and  marched 
it  past  the  Emperor  William.  It  was  the  last  time  he 
laughed,  and  he  laughed  till  the  tears  came  trickling 
down  his  cheeks,  for  he  saw  the  little  corporal  marching 
past,  straight  and  upright,  turning  his  head  at  the  word 
of  command." 

On  the  day  following  his  arrival  Prince  William 
announced  his  departure, 

"Ah,  so  much  the  better!"  said  Madame  Zirio,  who 
chanced  to  be  there.  "Then  the  Crown  Prince  is  im- 
proving and  the  last  consultation  was  reassuring?" 

"Oh,  no!"  replied  Prince  William;  "on  the  contrary, 
my  father,  as  was  foreseen  when  I  left  Berlin,  is  despaired 
of.     He  is  suffering,  without  the  slightest  doubt,  from 


SAN  REMO  287 

cancer.  It  is  a  matter  of  only  a  certain  number  of 
days,  perhaps  weeks.  I  am  going,  because  there  is  no 
longer  anything  to  hope  for.  My  grandfather  is  much 
weaker.  The  Czar  is  coming,  and  my  presence  at  Ber- 
lin is  indispensable.  I  think  I  shall  still  have  time  to 
return  here." 

There  were  a  few  moments  of  silence,  and  then 
Madame  Zirio  exclaimed,  laughing : 

"Will  you  allow  me  to  say,  * Au  revoir,  future 
Emperor?'  " 

"Willingly,"  replied  the  Prince,  and  he  then  took  his 
leave. 

The  following  day  he  left  San  Remo  for  Berlin.  He 
was  absolutely  sure  that  his  father's  case  was  hopeless, 
and  his  conviction  was  strengthened  by  the  verdict  of 
those  doctors  in  whom  alone  he  had  faith.  In  his 
opinion,  Morell  Mackenzie  was  an  ignoramus  whose 
assertions  were  not  worth  discussing  in  presence  of  the 
infallible  verdict  of  the  German  faculties. 

On  the  7th  of  February — just  four  weeks  before  I 
arrived  at  San  Remo — at  11  a.  m.,  the  Crown  Prince  and 
his  wife  were  about  to  go  for  a  drive  on  the  Comiche  in  an 
open  carriage.  Doctor  Mackenzie  and  Doctor  Bramann, 
Doctor  Bergmann's  assistant,  were  at  the  door  of  the 
villa.  Just  as  the  driver  was  about  to  start  the  horses, 
who  were  growing  impatient,  a  slight  breeze  sprang  up  on 
the  coast.  Mackenzie,  walking  toward  Bramann,  made 
a  sign  to  the  driver,  who  pulled  back  his  team. 

The  Prince,  w4th  a  sad  look  in  his  eyes,  turned  his  head 
toward  the  doctors. 

"This  promenade  is  imprudent,"  said  Mackenzie  to 
Bramann.     "  The  respiration  is  becoming  difficult.     Two 


288  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

hours  hence  it  may  perhaps  be  too  late,  and  Bergmann 
will  not  be  here  for  two  days.  We  must  come  to  a 
decision." 

"I  shall  never  have  the  courage  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  this  operation,"  replied  Doctor 
Bramann. 

The  Prince,  who  was  watching  them  both,  saw  that 
Bramann  was  growing  pale. 

"At  all  events,"  rephed  Mackenzie,  "before  allowing 
him  to  go  out  we  must  make  a  fresh  examination." 

He  signed  affectionately  to  the  future  Emperor, 
inviting  him  to  get  out  of  the  carriage,  and  the  Crown 
Prince  flung  off  the  furs  that  covered  his  knees,  and, 
turning  toward  the  Princess  as  if  to  ask  her  pardon  for 
having  spoiled  her  drive,  he  stepped  down  and  entered 
the  house. 

The  doctors  then  examined  the  throat  once  more. 

"I  will  wait  an  hour."  said  Doctor  Mackenzie.  "If 
there  is  no  change,  you  must  operate." 

An  iron  bedstead  was  sent  for,  the  head-rail  of  which 
was  broken  for  the  convenience  of  the  doctors.  The 
bed  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room  with  a  red 
cushion  on  the  pillows. 

At  one  o'clock  there  was  a  fresh  examination. 

Doctor  Mackenzie,  after  a  rapid  glance,  merely  turned 
to  Doctor  Bramann  and  said : 

"  Are  you  ready  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  latter' s  reply. 

The  Prince  lay  down  on  the  little  iron  bed.  He  was 
quite  calm. 

"  Is  chloroform  indispensable  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Yes,  Prince,"  replied  the  Doctors. 


SAN   REMO  289 

The  anesthetic  then  began  its  work  and  Bramann  took 
off  his  coat.     The  operation  was  commenced. 

Two  hours  later  it  was  over  and  the  Crown  Princess 
Frederick  entered  the  apartment  of  her  maid  of  honour, 
the  Countess  of  Briihl,  exclaiming  with  sobs : 

* '  Fritz  has  the  tube  in  his  throat . " 

•  •••••• 

All  this,  I  need  hardly  say,  is  history,  and  even  now 
as  I  write  these  lines  I  can  recall  vividly  the  scene  at 
San  Remo,  when  Madame  Zirio  related  to  me,  as  the 
shadows  fell,  the  whole  story  of  this  tragedy  in  which 
she  herself  had  been  so  absorbed  a  spectator. 

This  interview,  as  I  have  said,  occurred  on  the  8th  of 
March,  1888.  As  I  sat  there  drinking  in  every  word 
that  fell  from  the  lips  fo  my  hostess,  and  fixing  them 
faithfully  in  my  memory,  something  more  intensely 
dramatic  than  all  that  precedes  took  place. 

The  drawing-room  door  suddenly  burst  open  and  a 
servant  rushed  in,  completely  out  of  breath : 

"  Madame,  madame  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  you  don't  know 
the  news?" 

"No.     What  is  it?" 

"It  has  just  come  from  the  White  Villa.  The  old 
Emperor  has  just  died  at  Berlin." 

A  moment  later  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  White 
Villa. 

I  shall  never  forget  this  historical  scene,  one  of  the 
most  affecting  I  have  ever  witnessed. 

In  the  Crown  Prince's  garden  a  pall  of  sorrow  seemed 
to  hang  like  an  atmosphere.  Officers,  major-domos, 
sentinels  and  servants  were  hurrying  hither  and  thither 
in  strange  confusion.     The  large  drawing-room  on  the 


290  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

ground  floor  was  brilliantly  lighted,  and  through  the 
windows  we  could  see  everything  that  was  going 
on  within. 

The  members  of  the  household  had  all  assembled  there 
and  were  standing  in  a  circle.  The  conversation  was  in 
undertones.  All  seemed  to  feel  the  strangeness,  the 
really  extraordinary  position  of  this  sudden  elevation  of 
the  Prince,  whose  death  had  already  been  discounted 
and  deplored. 

Suddenly  the  door  was  opened  and  the  "Emperor" 
appeared. 

He  had  become  handsome  again  as  in  the  radiant  days 
of  his  youth.  His  beard,  with  a  few  silver  streaks, 
glowed  in  the  brilliant  light  of  the  chandelier.  Tall  and 
well  built,  he  dominated  the  entire  company.  His  blue 
eyes  were  slightly  misty.  His  delicate  complexion,  now 
heightened  with  a  little  colour,  seemed  to  show  the  real 
tranquillity  which  had  taken  possession  of  his  soul,  and 
his  mouth,  with  the  red  lips,  had  now  that  fascinating 
smile  which  characterised  him. 

With  a  firm  step  he  walked  straight  to  a  small  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  drawing-room  and  wrote — for  the 
tube  prevented  him  from  speaking — a  few  lines,  which 
he  signed.  An  officer  read  the  paper  aloud.  It  was 
the  announcement  of  the  death  of  the  Emperor  William  I. 
and  of  his  own  accession  as  Frederick  III. 

The  Emperor  then  walked  toward  the  Empress,  made 
a  long  and  reverent  bow,  paying  full  homage  to  his  wife's 
valiant  courage,  and  with  a  grave  and  tender  gesture 
passed  round  her  neck  the  ribbon  of  the  Black  Eagle. 

The  Empress,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  threw  herself  into 
the  arms  of  Frederick  III.,  and  as  they  embraced  they 


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SAN  REMO  291 

gave  full  vent  at  last  to  their  sobs,  which  they  had  so 
long  and  so  heroically  restrained. 

All  then  present  marched  past  the  new  Emperor. 
Doctor  Morell  Mackenzie,  who  had  performed  the 
operation,  stopped  somewhat  longer  than  the  others. 
Frederick  III.  had  seized  his  two  hands,  clasping  them 
warmly.  At  a  small  table  the  Emperor  wrote  for  him 
a  few  words  of  gratitude : 

"  I  thank  you  for  having  made  me  live  long  enough  to 
recompense  the  valiant  courage  of  my  wife." 

After  this  brief  scene  everybody  left  the  drawing- 
room.  The  Emperor  ascended  with  the  Empress  to  his 
apartments  on  the  first  floor.  The  lights  gradually 
went  out.  Once  more  the  White  Villa  was  plunged  in 
shadow  and  silence. 

The  next  day  I  left  San  Remo  for  Paris.  I  have  never 
since  seen  Madame  Zirio,  and  I  cannot  say  whether  she 
has  kept  the  mysterious  mauve  letter.  Nor  have  I  any 
idea  even  now  as  to  the  author  of  its  strange  contents. 

During  my  journalistic  career  I  have  been  aided  by 
many  a  chance;  I  have  met  with  many  extraordinary 
incidents,  but  no  chance,  no  incident  has  appeared  to 
me  more  marvellous  than  that  which  led  me  to  San  Remo 
to  witness  the  final  scenes  of  that  historic  tragedy  which 
had  aroused  the  passionate  interest  of  the  whole  world. 

And  I  felt  it  my  duty  in  these,  my  memoirs,  to  devote 
to  this  episode  an  entire  chapter,  for  it  will  show  the 
remarkable  part  which  the  inscrutable  goddess  called 
Destiny  plays  in  the  career  of  a  journalist. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
How  Bismarck  Retired 

This  chapter  might  also  be  entitled,  "Of  the  diffi- 
culties experienced  by  a  journalist  who  wishes  to 
maintain  cordial  relations  with  a  diplomatist." 

And  I  write  it,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  retracing  an 
episode  of  contemporary  history  with  which  I  was  con- 
nected, but  also  to  show  the  strange  obstacles,  the 
unexpected  contradictions,  and  the  unheard-of  difficulties 
that  a  joiunalist  must  face  in  order  to  keep  the  public  well- 
posted  on  the  great  events  that  are  happening  in  the  world. 

In  1892  Germany  was  represented  in  Paris  by  an 
Ambassador  who  was  first  Count,  and  then  Prince 
Miinster. 

Count  Munster  was  one  of  the  most  striking  types  of  a 
German  I  have  ever  met.  He  was  like  a  straight,  healthy 
tree  brought  from  one  of  the  German  forests,  and  the 
continual  contact  with  the  diplomatic  world  had  only 
softened  very  slightly  the  ruggedness  of  his  bark.  He 
had  that  frigid  and  somewhat  monotonous  slowness  of 
Germans  who  are  given  to  reflection.  He  had  neither 
that  feminine  gracefulness  so  frequently  foimd  in 
diplomatists,  nor  yet  that  quick  understanding  with 
which  women  are  usually  credited.  His  somewhat 
imposing  physical  heaviness  gave  one  the  exact  idea 
of   his   moral  nature,   and   this   curious   and   rare  con- 

292 


HOW   BISMARCK  RETIRED  293 

cordance  of  the  exterior  and  the  interior  was  almost 
perfect  in  his  case. 

Count  Miinster  was  Ambassador  at  Paris  at  a  very- 
difficult  period.  The  relations  between  the  two  countries 
were  far  from  being  then  what  they  have  since  become. 
There  was  great  tension  between  Paris  and  Berlin,  or,  to 
speak  more  exactly,  between  the  French  nation  and  the 
German  nation.  There  were  frequent  incidents  springing 
up,  either  on  the  frontier  or  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
capital,  which  rendered  the  task  of  the  diplomatist  and 
the  Governments  of  both  countries  extremely  arduous. 

Rumoiirs  of  war  were  sometimes  heard  in  the  distance. 
In  addition  to  this,  the  mission  of  Count  Miinster 
was  rendered  all  the  more  complex  from  the  fact  that, 
in  Germany,  the  most  serious  and  disquieting  quarrels 
were  beginning  to  take  place  between  the  Emperor, 
William  II.,  and  his  formidable  Chancellor,  Prince 
Bismarck.  There  were  rumours  of  resignation  in  the  air, 
and  German  diplomatists  abroad  did  not  know  whether 
the  orders  they  received  from  Wilhelmstrasse  came  from 
the  master  of  yesterday  or  the  master  of  the  future. 

Finally  the  resignation  of  the  Chancellor  was  announced 
in  March  1 89 1  and  fell  like  a  thunderbolt.  All  the  subordi- 
nates of  Bismarck  wondered  whether  the  retirement  of 
their  chief  from  power  meant  their  own  dismissal. 

Count  Miinster  on  his  arrival  in  Paris  had  done  his 
utmost  to  be  agreeable  to  every  one  and  had  proved 
himself  to  be  most  conciliating.  He  had  invited  me 
several  times  to  the  Embassy  and  had  talked  to  me  a 
great  deal  about  the  difficulties  of  his  mission,  the  com- 
plexity of  his  position,  and  the  unsatisfactory  condition 
of   international   relations.     He   had   always   welcomed 


294  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

me  most  cordially,  and  had  almost  insisted  upon  my 
returning  to  see  him,  to  keep  him  posted  with  regard 
to  public  opinion,  and  to  give  him  any  advice  I  might 
think  useful  for  the  maintenance  of  peaceful  relations 
between  the  two  countries. 

One  morning  in  June,  three  months  after  the  resigna- 
tion of  Prince  Bismarck,  I  read  without  much  surprise, 
in  several  journals,  a  telegram  from  Berlin  to  the  effect 
that  "there  was  a  rumour  afloat  there  of  the  recall  of 
Count  Miinster,  German  Ambassador  in  Paris,  and  that 
he  was  to  be  replaced  by  another  diplomatist. " 

I  went  immediately  to  the  Embassy  and  asked  the 
Count  how  much  truth  there  was  in  this  statement  con- 
cerning him. 

The  Ambassador  was  rather  nervous  and  irritated. 
"  They  are  stabbing  me  in  the  back, "  he  said.  "  They 
cannot  forgive  me  because,  in  the  quarrel  between  the 
Emperor  and  the  Chancellor,  I  sided  with  my  Sovereign. 
Prince  Bismarck  cannot  put  up  with  the  situation  of 
being  nobody,  and  he  wants  to  drag  others  down  with 
him  in  his  fall." 

"Excuse  me,"  I  interrupted,  "but  I  thought  that,  on 
the  contrary,  the  Chancellor  had  accepted  his  withdrawal 
from  public  affairs  very  philosophically,  and  that  he 
was  rather  glad  to  be  relieved  of  the  burden  of 
power." 

"I  thought  so,  too,"  answered  Count  Miinster,  "but 
I  thought  so  for  only  half  an  hour.  At  the  end  of  thirty 
minutes  my  illusions  had  vanished  and  I  knew  what 
to  think  of  his  frame  of  mind." 

And  then,  before  I  had  added  a  word  or  asked  another 
question  of  any  kind,  Coimt  Miinster,  with  a  shade  of 


HOW   BISMARCK  RETIRED  295 

irony  in  his  voice,  began  the  following  extraordinary 
story,  which  I  now  tell  without  altering  a  single  word : 

"On  Wednesday,  the  19th  of  March  of  last  year" 
[1891],  "I  arrived  at  Berlin,  My  first  call  was  on  Prince 
Bismarck,  I  was  quite  ignorant  of  what  had  taken 
place  the  previous  day.  The  Prince,  after  the  exchange 
of  the  first  greetings,  told  me  that  he  had  resigned.  He 
made  the  statement  in  a  calm  voice,  a  smile  on  his  lips, 
congratulating  himself  on  being  able  to  resume  his  country 
life,  of  which  he  was  so  fond,  to  revisit  his  forests  and 
broad  plains,  for  which  he  had  a  strong  liking,  and  of 
becoming  himself  once  again  during  the  few  remaining 
years  he  had  to  live.  In  short,  he  was  happy  at  the  idea 
of  its  being  possible  for  him  to  spend  the  whole  of  his  time 
without  being  harassed  by  constant  anxieties  and  worries. 
I  evinced  great  surprise  at  this  news  and  attempted 
some  objections;  but  I  did  not  maintain  this  line  of 
conduct  long,  for  the  countenance  of  the  Prince,  his 
language  and  tone  of  voice  impressed  me  greatly,  and,  I 
should  add,  filled  me  with  admiration  for  him.  I  dis- 
covered in  him  a  wonderful  philosophy,  the  accents  of  a 
man  who  divests  himself  of  his  honours  and  power 
with  ease  and  manly  resolution,  and  who,  with  the 
satisfaction  of  having  well  occupied  his  life  and  accom- 
plished his  duty,  resumes  the  path  which  leads  him  to 
nobly  won  repose.  I  asked  myself  how  such  a  man's 
place  could  be  filled,  and  I  did  not  comprehend  how,  in 
view  of  the  attitude  he  must  to  the  last  moment  have 
maintained,  the  young  Emperor  could  have  taken  it 
upon  himself  to  part  with  a  man  who,  by  the  self-control 
of  which  he  w^as  giving  proof  at  so  very  critical  a  moment, 
showed  what  eminent  services  he  might  yet  have  rendered 


296  MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

his  master.  Yes,  I  confess  the  more  the  Prince's 
attitude  excited  my  admiration  the  less  could  I  account 
for  the  Emperor's  having  decided  on  overturning  him, 
and  the  less  could  I  see  how  such  a  man  was  to  be  replaced. 
This  twofold  idea  haimted  me  while  the  Prince  was 
speaking,  and  then,  as  often  happens  in  such  circum- 
stances, I  suddenly  recalled  to  mind  in  full  detail  two 
scenes  which  I  had  witnessed,  two  conversations  which 
I  had  heard.  From  that  moment,  while  listening  to 
the  Prince's  monologue,  I  understood  how  the  Emperor 
could  have  conceived  and  realised  the  idea  of  provoking 
and  accepting  the  Chancellor's  retirement,  and  I  foresaw 
the  successor  he  would  give  him.  Then  all  became 
clear  to  me  on  the  two  points.  I  knew  the  young 
Emperor's  perfect  veneration  for  his  grandfather,  and 
I  placed  together  this  respectful  homage  and  the  first 
scene  which  my  mind  had  called  up. 

"A  year  before  his  death,  at  a  tea-party  which  he 
attended,  the  old  Emperor,  who  had  long  been  conversing 
with  a  lady,  raising  his  voice  so  as  to  be  heard  by  me  and 
others,  uttered  the  following  words,  which  had  fixed  them- 
selves in  my  memory : 

"'Yes,  I  assure  you,  you  do  not  see  things  from  such 
a  good  standpoint  as  I  do,  but  Bismarck  has  become 
very  stubborn,  and  it  takes  all  my  strength  of  will  to 
put  up  with  him ;  but  when  I  am  driven  to  extremities 
and  things  cannot  go  on  further,  the  choice  of  his  successor 
will  not  embarrass  me.  My  mind  is  made  up — ^it  will  be 
General  Capri vi.' 

"  As  the  lady  appeared  somewhat  amazed  at  the  name, 
Emperor  William  continued : 

'"Yes,  the  man  is  not  very  well  known,  but  I  have 


HOW   BISMARCK   RETIRED  297 

had  him  under  my  orders,  I  have  often  talked  with  him, 
and  I  assure  you  his  appointment  is  the  best  possible 
choice  if  it  ever  becomes  necessary  to  part  with 
Bismarck.' 

"I  was,  therefore,  almost  convinced  that  General 
Capri vi  would  come  into  office,  for  I  was  sufficiently  well 
acquainted  with  Emperor  William  I.  to  know  that  he 
must  have  held  the  same  language  to  his  grandson,  to 
whom  he  always  repeated  on  the  following  day  the  con- 
versations he  had  had,  and  to  whom  he  must  certainly 
have  repeated  the  one  I  have  just  recalled. 

"As  I  continued  to  listen  to,  and  at  times  to  converse 
with.  Prince  Bismarck,  my  surprise  increasing  at  the 
continued  calmness  with  which  he  was  relating  his 
resignation,  another  of  the  Emperor's  conversations 
flashed  across  my  mind  and  greatly  lessened  the  astonish- 
ment I  had  at  the  first  moment  experienced  when  Prince 
Bismarck  informed  me  of  his  retirement.  I  remembered 
that  some  considerable  time  before  the  Emperor  William's 
death,  at  a  period  when  his  health  was  fairly  good,  he  at- 
tended a  'punch'  given  by  his  grandson,  the  present 
Emperor,  to  officers  of  all  arms.  Prince  Bismarck  had 
shortly  before  appointed  his  son,  Count  Herbert,  Secretary 
of  State,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 

"The  Emperor  William  I.,  speaking  aloud,  concealing 
nothing  from  all  the  officers  who  were  listening,  said: 
'  It  must  be  admitted  that  this  young  Count  Herbert  has 
got  on  prodigiously  fast  under  the  rule  of  his  father. 
It  is  the  greatest  act  of  nepotism  which  politics  have 
ever  recorded.' 

"  I  took  the  liberty  of  saying  to  the  Emperor,  '  But 
how  is  it  Your  Majesty  has  not  made  the  remark  to  him, 


298  MEMOIRS  OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

for  I  see  that  this  act  of  favour,  of  such  importance  to 
public  affairs,  has  not  escaped  your  observation  ?' 

"'Why,'  said  the  Emperor,  'I  cannot  at  this  moment 
part  with  the  Prince ;  he  is  necessary  to  his  country  and 
is  still  necessary  to  me.  I  should  have  readily  made  the 
remark  to  him,  but  I  reflected  that,  as  he  does  not  feel 
the  impropriety  of  these  extraordinary  promotions, 
he  could  not  take  the  remark  coolly,  and  that,  if  I  made 
it,  it  might  have  more  serious  consequences  than  I 
intended.* 

"The  more  I  reflected  on  these  two  conversations  of 
the  Emperor  William  I.,  the  less  siuprised  I  was  both  at 
Prince  Bismarck's  resignation  and  at  the  young  Emperor's 
resolution,  for  I  saw  that,  in  accepting  the  resignation, 
he  had,  as  it  were,  followed  the  indications  of  his  grand- 
father's desire,  and  had  beforehand  chosen  the  successor 
pointed  out  to  him.  Knowing  how  profound  was  his 
respect  for  the  old  monarch,  I  felt  convinced  that  he 
considered  himself  screened  by  these  recollections  and 
by  that  authority ;  and  that  they  had  inspired  him  with 
the  energy  and  resolution  of  which  he  had  given  proof 
in  parting,  almost  harshly,  with  the  Great  Chancellor. 

"  I  rose  and  said  to  the  Chancellor  that,  as  the  Chamber 
was  sitting,  I  was  going  thither, 

"  The  Prince  replied : 

"'Wait  a  moment;  I  will  put  on  my  uniform  and 
accompany  you.' 

"  He  left  the  room.  A  few  minutes  afterward  I  heard 
the  Prince  and  the  Princess  talking  in  a  very  animated  way 
and  in  a  loud  tone.  Their  conversation  lasted  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  Prince  reentered 
the  room,  without  having  changed  his  attire.     He  had 


HOW   BISMARCK  RETIRED  299 

a  large  letter  open  in  his  hand.  He  had  turned  pale 
and  had  an  irritated  expression.  He  came  up  to  me 
and  said : 

"'I  cannot  accompany  you.  I  have  this  moment 
received  a  letter  from  that  young  man  in  which  he  informs 
me  that  he  confers  on  me  the  title  of  Duke  of  Lauenburg ; 
this  plainly  indicates  that  my  resignation  is  definitive 
and  my  disgrace  complete.  I  cannot  accept  such  a 
retirement.  He  will  soon  see  that  a  Bismarck  is  not 
dismissed  in  this  style.' 

"He  then  began  walking  up  and  down  the  room  in 
great  wrath,  uttering  threats,  accusing  everybody, 
inveighing  against  his  adversaries  and  the  intriguers 
who  had  worked  in  opposition  to  him.  I  saw,  in  short, 
a  man  who  was  vociferating  against  his  fall,  and  whom 
the  conversation  with  the  Princess  had  evidently  worked 
up,  for  at  all  times  she  and  his  son  had  incited  him  to 
violent  resolutions.  It  was  they  who  encouraged  him 
in  all  the  precipitate  or  extreme  acts  with  which  he  had 
been  reproached. 

"I  then  comprehended  that  when  he  had  received  me 
and  had  talked  with  such  philosophic  calmness  and 
dignity  of  his  resignation,  he  did  not  believe  it  was  final, 
but,  notwithstanding  all  that  had  passed,  was  persuaded 
that  the  Emperor  would  ask  him  to  resume  his  post  and 
not  to  consider  his  resignation  as  definitive.  I  confess 
that  I  was  then  struck  by  surprise  and  sadness.  I  took 
leave  of  a  man  who  in  the  space  of  a  single  visit  had  so 
strangely  altered  in  my  eyes." 

So  spoke  Count  Miinster.  He  added  to  his  extraordinary 
story  a  detail  which  was  decidedly  piquant.  On  going 
away    after    his    last    interview    with   the  Chancellor, 


300  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

he  asked  before  leaving  the  house  whether  it  would  not 
be  possible  for  him  to  pay  his  respects  to  Princess 
Bismarck.  But  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  Emperor,  who 
was  just  passing  by  and  who  recognised  him,  said : 

"Oh,  no.  Excellency!  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  a 
favourable  moment  for  you  to  see  the  Princess.  .  .  . 
To  give  you  an  example  of  the  state  of  mind  she  is  now 
in,  a  little  while  ago  I  took  her  a  portrait  of  the 
Emperor  which  had  been  sent  by  His  Majesty  to  Prince 
Bismarck  as  a  souvenir.  On  seeing  it  the  Princess 
exclaimed,  'Let  it  be  taken  to  Friedrichsruhe  and  placed 
in  the  stable!'  " 

As  he  finished.  Count  Miinster  turned  to  me  and  said: 
"You  see  why  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  Prince 
Bismarck  is  not  reconciled  to  his  fall.  I  have  also  reason 
to  believe  that  he  does  not  forgive  me  for  not  having 
followed  him,  and  the  report  of  my  recall,  spread  abroad 
by  his  friends,  is  more  the  expression  of  a  desire  than  of 
a  reality." 

Thereupon,  after  talking  about  several  other  matters, 
I  left  Count  Miinster  and  went  away. 

In  the  evening  I  telegraphed  an  account  of  this  memor- 
able interview  to  the  Times.  The  next  day  it  appeared 
in  the  columns  of  that  paper.  The  day  following  it  was 
reproduced  by  the  press  of  the  whole  world,  for  it  had 
been  transmitted  by  telegraph  to  the  farthest  extremities 
of  the  globe.  It  gave  rise  everywhere  to  the  most  varied 
comments;  some  were  ironical,  others  indignant,  still 
others  amused.  An  English  paper  which  republished  it 
in  extenso  added  the  following  line: 

"M.  de  Blowitz  has  once  more  been  guilty  of  grave 
indiscretion." 


HOW   BISMARCK   RETIRED  301 

Here,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  I  should  Hke  to  say  a  few- 
words  on  a  subject  which  I  have  deeply  at  heart.  In 
the  course  of  my  long  career  the  phrase  I  have  just 
quoted  has  been  printed  about  me  at  various  intervals. 
I  have  more  than  once  been  accused  of  indiscretion  and 
more  than  once  the  epithet  "indiscreet"  has  been  applied 
to  my  name. 

I  will  begin  by  saying  that  none  of  those  persons  who 
have  reproached  me  in  this  way  could  ever  quote  one 
example,  one  single  example,  to  show  that  when  I  gave 
my  word  of  honour  to  be  silent,  or  when  I  promised  not  to 
repeat  anything,  I  have  ever  broken  my  word  or  promise. 
I  defy  any  one  to  prove  that  I  have  ever  committed  an 
act  of  treachery,  and  only  to  give  one  instance,  when 
Pope  Leo  XIII,,  after  a  conversation  of  more  than  an 
hour,  in  the  course  of  which  he  had  made  certain  state- 
ments that  would  have  caused  a  great  stir  in  the  world, 
asked  me,  through  Cardinal  Jacobini,  to  give  my  word  of 
honour  not  to  repeat  what  had  been  said,  I  gave  it,  and 
not  only  did  I  never  repeat  a  word  of  the  pontifical 
statements,  but  I  even  destroyed  the  notes  I  had  taken 
and  endeavoured  to  forget  what  had  been  said. 

But  if  one  calls  it  an  indiscretion  to  repeat  things  that 
have  been  said  to  me,  a  journalist,  by  persons  who  have 
not  taken  the  precaution  to  demand  secrecy;  if  it  be  an 
indiscretion  to  try  to  find  out  what  is  going  on  and  to 
tell  what  one  knows,  to  inform  the  public  of  all  that  one 
has  discovered — why,  certainly,  then  I  flatter  myself 
that  I  have  been  indiscreet;  I  boast  of  it,  and  it  is  an 
extra  reason  for  my  being  proud.  I  consider  that  a 
journalist  is,  first  of  all,  the  servant  of  his  paper  and  of 
the  public.     I  consider  that  he  ought  to  keep  nothing 


302 


MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 


hidden  from  them;  I  consider  that  all  he  knows,  all  he 
learns,  all  he  sees,  all  he  hears  and  all  that  he  feels  belongs 
to  his  paper,  and  that  there  is  only  one  single  law  in  the 
world  which  should  prevent  him  from  speaking,  which 
should  close  his  lips — the  law  of  honour  ! 

How  often  have  people,  sometimes  people  in  very  high 
positions,  come  to  me  and  said,  "  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
something  extremely  interesting,  but  it  is  with  the  under- 
standing that  what  I  tell  you  is  for  you  alone,  and  you 
must  not  say  a  word  about  it  in  your  paper." 

I  have  always  answered  them: 

"Then  don't  tell  me  your  story;  keep  it  to  yourself. 
I  am  not  inqiiisitive  for  my  own  sake — only  for  that  of 
my  paper.  I  do  not  care  to  know  what  happens  if  the 
public  is  not  to  know  it.  I  am  a  journalist  and  not  a 
confessor !" 

And  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  extremely  grotesque 
for  people  to  imagine  that  a  man  who  is  a  journalist,  who 
spends  all  his  time,  uses  all  his  efforts,  his  brain,  his 
energy  to  know  about  things,  who  goes  to  see  Ministers, 
who  receives  Ambassadors  at  his  table,  who  rushes  to  the 
other  end  of  the  world  to  interview  Sovereigns,  should  do 
all  that  for  the  solitary  pleasure  of  being  well  posted,  of 
knowing  for  himself,  just  for  his  own  private  self,  what 
is  happening,  so  that  he  may  store  it  up  in  his  own 
memory  and  never  let  it  be  known. 

No;  I  have  always  told  things  when  no  imperative 
obligation  prevented  my  doing  so.  I  have  always  told  my 
paper  and  my  readers  all  that  I  knew,  because  they  had  a 
right  to  know  it.  And  I  maintain  that  journalists  who 
are  silent  when  they  could  speak  fail  in  their  duty  to  the 
paper  which  they  are  supposed  to  serve  and  in  their 


SILVKR     STATUE,     REPRESENTI  N( ;       "  lELKclKAPHIC      CORRE- 
spondence,"   given    to     m.    ])e    ki.owitz    on    his 
r?:tirement,  by   the    pares   correspondents 

OK  ALL  FOREIGN   PAPERS,   DECEMBER  18,  iqo2 


HOW   BISMARCK  RETIRED  303 

duty  to  the  public  for  whom  they  are  supposed  to  be 
working. 

This  said,  I  return  to  my  story. 

When  Count  Munster,  who  had  not  asked  for  secrecy, 
saw  in  the  Times  of  June  30,  1881,  the  account  of 
Prince  Bismarck's  resignation  which  he  had  related 
to  me,  he  did  not  at  first  show  any  signs  of  displeasure 
or  of  surprise.     He  did  not  offer  the  slightest  protest. 

His  displeasure  only  commenced  three  or  four  days 
later,  when  he  received  some  cuttings  from  German 
papers  criticising  in  disagreeable  terms  his  statements. 
His  displeasure  was  transformed  into  serious  annoyance 
when  the  cuttings  were  followed  by  letters  from  friends 
of  Prince  Bismarck,  written  in  the  most  angry  and 
threatening  terms. 

The  Ambassador  then,  and  not  until  then,  weighed 
the  importance  of  the  words  he  had  uttered,  and  was 
anxious  about  the  consequences  to  himself  that  those 
words  might  entail.  Accordingly,  eight  or  ten  days 
after  the  publication  in  the  Times,  Coimt  Munster  sent 
me  a  secretary  from  his  Embassy,  who  spoke  to  me  as 
follows : 

"The  Ambassador,"  he  said,  "regrets  that  in  the 
account  you  published,  and  which  was  very  exact,  you 
should  have  introduced  the  name  of  Princess  Bismarck. 
He  fears  that  the  comments  raised  by  this  incident  may 
cause  him  serious  unpleasantness.  He  therefore  wishes 
me  to  inform  you  that,  in  order  to  attenuate  the  effect 
produced,  he  will  ask  the  Wolff  Telegraphy  Agency 
to  declare  that  there  was  a  certain  amount  of  imagination 
in  the  story  published.  He  sincerely  hopes  that  you 
will  not  take  this  amiss,  and  that  you  will  only  attribute 


304  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

this  rectification  to  the  imperative  necessity  of  circum- 
stances." 

I  merely  replied : 

"Tell  Count  Miinster  that  if  the  publication  of  his 
conversation  is  really  likely  to  cause  any  annoyance  to 
him,  I  shall  take  no  exception  to  the  slight  reserve  he 
wishes  to  make,  and  will  not  even  protest  in  any  way." 

Thereupon,  Count  Miinster's  messenger  thanked  me 
heartily,  and  the  next  day  the  Wolff  Telegraph  Agency 
commimicated  an  official  note  to  all  the  papers,  stating 
in  the  name  of  the  German  Ambassador  in  Paris  that 
there  was  a  certain  amount  of  imagination  in  the  account 
published  in  the  Times  about  the  resignation  of  Prince 
Bismarck.  In  accordance  with  my  promise,  I  made  no 
reply. 

But,  strangely  enough,  this  official  note,  instead  of 
calming  the  papers  devoted  to  Bismarck,  appeared  to 
have  exasperated  them  still  more.  They  declared  that 
this  rectification  was  equal  to  an  avowal ;  they  denounced 
the  German  Ambassador  in  Paris  in  the  most  violent 
terms;  they  demanded  that  he  should  take  back  his 
words;  they  coupled  with  his  name  epithets  which  were 
almost  abusive — in  a  word,  they  opened  wide  the  flood- 
gates of  their  anger  and  indignation. 

This  fearful  deluge  caused  Count  Miinster  to  lose  all 
his  composure,  and  without  consulting  me  this  time,  a 
month  after  my  article  had  appeared  in  the  Times,  he 
published  a  fresh  denial  in  the  following  terms : 

"  We  are  authorizd  by  Count  Miinster,  who  is  at  present 
at  his  country  seat  at  Demebourg,  near  Hanover,  to 
deny  the  authenticity  of  the  account  of  an  interview 


HOW   BISMARCK   RETIRED  305 

with  him  pubHshed  a  few  weeks  ago  in  a  newspaper. 
The  article  appeared  without  his  knowledge,  and  he 
repudiates  all  responsibility  for  the  statements  contained 
in  it. 

And  as  the  storm,  far  from  calming  down,  continued 
to  rage,  on  the  2nd  of  August — I  say  the  2nd  of  August — 
absolutely  wild  with  terror  (that  is  his  only  excuse), 
Count  Miinster  went  so  far  as  to  write  to  Count  Herbert 
Bismarck  a  letter  beginning  as  follows : 

"I  beg  you  to  tell  the  Prince  that  I  am  quite  beside 
myself  on  account  of  the  invention  of  this  .  .  . 
Blowitz,  and  to  express  to  him  my  regret  at  the  wrong 
use  which  has  been  made  of  my  name." 

The  dots  in  this  phrase  represent  an  epithet,  probably 
abusive,  which  the  Hamburger  Nachrichten  thought 
better  to  suppress. 

I  will  stop  here,  and  will  not  qualify  the  action  of  a 
man  bearing  a  well-known  and  respected  name,  who, 
after  having  acknowledged  the  exactitude  of  a  statement 
made  by  him,  after  having  asked  permission,  for  private 
reasons,  to  add  some  attenuation,  after  publicly  declaring 
that  there  was  "some  imagination"  in  what  had  been 
published,  leaving  it  imderstood  that  there  was  much 
that  was  true,  and  after  asking  for  a  promise  that  no 
reply  should  be  made  to  his  statement,  could  forget 
himself  to  such  an  extent  as  to  write  a  letter  of  the  kind. 

I  was,  however,  more  than  avenged,  for  public  opinion, 
which  finally  gave  judgment  on  the  matter,  did  not 
doubt  for  a  single  instant  who  told  the  truth — the  diplo- 
matist who  spoke  or  the  journalist  who  was  silent. 


3o6  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

For  more  than  six  months  afterward,  the  organs 
of  Prince  Bismarck  continued  their  attacks  against 
Count  Miinster,  thus  proving  the  value  they  attached 
to  his  denials,  and  the  Ex-Chancellor  himself  said 
"I  shall  never  forget  it,"  clearly  showing  toward  which 
side  his  opinion  leaned. 

I  particularly  wished  to  write  this  chapter  in  order 
to  show  the  treatment  to  which  a  correspondent  exposes 
himself  when  he  wants  to  tell  the  public  all  he  knows, 
and  also  to  show  how  almost  impossible  it  is  for  those 
two  complex  beings,  the  diplomatist  and  the  journalist, 
to  have  any  intercourse  with  each  other.  In  order  for 
them  to  agree,  the  former  must  keep  silent  about  what 
he  knows  and  the  latter  must  talk  about  that  of  which 
he  knows  nothing.  As  soon  as  the  one  ceases  to  keep 
his  counsel  and  the  other  tries  to  be  informed  about 
that  of  which  he  talks,  what  happened  to  me  will 
happen  again. 

May  this  serve  as  a  lesson  to  diplomatists  and  also  to 
journalists ! 


CHAPTER  XVII 
Diplomacy  and  Journalism 

And  now,  as  I  have  dwelt  briefly  on  that  deHcate  and 
complex  question  of  the  relations  between  Journalism 
and  Diplomacy,  I  do  not  see  why  I  should  not  narrate, 
in  a  final  chapter,  some  of  the  numerous  anecdotes  on 
the  same  subject  which  are  now  present  in  my  memory, 
or  why,  before  the  last  pages  of  the  book  are  reached, 
I  should  not  give  some  proofs  of  the  ingratitude  and 
treachery  which  represent  to  the  journalist  who  does 
his  duty  the  cost-price  of  any  success  he  may  obtain. 

During  my  long  career  it  has  happened  to  me  only 
once  that  a  public  man,  a  statesman,  has  testified  with 
any  warmth  his  surprised  gratitude  at  an  act  of  personal 
discretion  on  my  part  done  at  the  expense  of  immediate 
journalistic  success,  when  he  himself  had,  so  to  speak, 
furnished  me  with  the  very  element  of  this  success. 

One  evening  in  November,  1875,  I  happened  to  be  at 
the  Quai  d'Orsay  house  of  the  Due  Decazes,  who  was 
then  French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  We  were  in 
the  billiard  room.  The  Duke  was  full  of  spirit.  He  was 
playing  at  billiards  with  a  friend  of  the  Duchess,  who 
was  playing  so  well  that  she  seemed  likely  to  win. 
Suddenly  the  door  opened,  A  Cabinet  attache  entered 
and  handed  to  the  Duke  a  small  bundle  of  telegrams. 
Opening  the  packet,  the  Duke  began  to  read  one  of  the 
telegrams.     Suddenly  he   became   red,   then   pale,    and 

307 


3o8  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

wiped  his  temples  moist  with  sweat.  Then,  as  if 
maddened,  with  an  irresistible  movement,  he  took  the 
billiard  cue,  which  he  had  put  down,  struck  it  on  the  rim 
of  the  table,  broke  it  across  his  knee  and  threw  the  bits 
into  the  fire.  The  persons  present,  it  may  be  imagined, 
were  in  a  great  state  of  mind.  Suddenly  approaching 
me,  his  teeth  set  with  anger,  he  said:  "Do  you  know 
what  I  have  just  heard?  Derby  has  just  bought  200,000 
Suez  shares  from  Ismail,  while  every  possible  effort  has 
been  made  to  conceal  from  us,  not  only  the  negotiations, 
but  even  Ismail's  intention  of  selling  them.  It's  an 
infamy !  It's  England  putting  her  hand  on  the  Isthmus 
of  Suez,  and  my  personal  failure  has  in  no  way  retarded 
the  act.  I  authorise  you  to  say  what  you  have  just 
seen.  I  even  beg  you  to  say  it,  and  to  add  that  Lord 
Derby  will  have  to  pay  for  that."  And  he  added,  half 
talking  to  himself,  "Yes,  I  swear  that  he  shall  pay  for 
it !  "  He  then  quickly  left  the  room,  and  I,  too,  went  out. 
On  the  way  I  went  over  the  scene  in  my  mind  as  I  have 
here  described  it  from  my  notes  of  the  time.  I  saw 
instantly  what  an  impression  the  story  would  make 
when  told  in  my  telegram,  and  reproduced  throughout 
the  world  to  the  glory  of  the  journal  in  which  it  appeared. 
But  when  I  took  up  my  pen  to  write  it  out,  other 
thoughts  invaded  my  mind.  I  saw  the  two  Ministers 
of  Foreign  Affairs  of  England  and  France  pitted  against 
each  other,  the  malignity  of  certain  diplomatists  poisoning 
the  wound,  and  I  understood  that,  after  all,  I  could  not 
tell  the  story,  even  though  I  added  that  I  was  authorised 
to  do  so,  for  the  mere  publication  would  have  all  the 
aspect  of  a  veritable  provocation.  I  saw  that  it  would 
only  furnish  arms  to  the  foes  of  the  Due  Decazes,  whom 


DIPLOMACY  AND  JOURNALISM  309 

so  many  people  desired  to  overturn,  and  that  this  revela- 
tion of  Lord  Derby's  cleverness  would  be  gratuitously 
interpreted  as  in  itself  an  aggression.  I  dropped  the 
pen  and  left  the  office,  announcing  that  I  would  not  return 
that  night.  On  the  morrow,  at  eleven  o'clock,  I  was 
told  that  there  was  a  messenger  from  the  Due  Decazes. 

Immediately  after  luncheon  I  went  to  the  Quai  d'Orsay. 
The  Due  Decazes  had  just  come  down  to  his  work,  and 
I  was  immediately  introduced  into  his  cabinet.  He 
handed  a  telegram  to  me.  In  a  tone  almost  harsh  he 
asked,  "Why  didn't  you  publish  the  scene  that  you 
witnessed  yesterday,  as  I  asked  you  to  do  ?"  I  explained 
to  him  my  reasons  for  keeping  silent.  He  got  up,  seized 
both  my  hands,  looked  at  me  with  profound  emotion, 
and  said:  "You  understand  that  I  have  just  said  what 
I  did  as  a  joke.  You  have  acted  as  a  friend  of  the 
Minister,  as  a  friend  of  peace;  and  never  shall  I  forget 
what  you  have  done  for  me — for  us ;  for  you  have  sacrificed 
a  joiimalistic  success  to  your  sense  of  duty.  Believe 
me,  the  latter  is  the  better  memory." 

The  Due  Decazes  remained  two  years  longer  in  power, 
when  he  was  carried  away  by  the  electoral  storm  which 
burst  in  the  false  coup  d'etat  of  the  i6th  of  May,  1877. 
If  he  ever  referred  to  the  purchase  of  the  Suez  Canal 
shares  by  Lord  Derby,  the  matter  has  remained  a  diplo- 
matic secret;  the  public  has  known  nothing  of  it,  and 
the  spirit  of  France  was  not  troubled.  To-day  Lord 
Derby  and  the  Due  Decazes  are  no  more.  The  shares 
have  remained  in  the  peaceful  possession  of  Great  Britain, 
and  Lord  Derby  could  feel  at  his  death  that  he  had  been 
the  author  of  one  of  the  most  clever  and  paying  acts  of 
patriotism  possible;  for  besides  the  immense  hold  which 


3IO  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

this  act  has  given  to  England  on  the  affairs  of  the  Suez 
Canal,  it  annually  gets  from  this  possession  to-day  the 
enormous  sum  of  ;^i  7,000,000. 

I  must  add  that  on  two  other  occasions  I  saw  the 
Due  Decazes  the  victim  of  almost  the  same  anger,  and 
on  both  occasions  he  recalled  to  me  the  incident  of  which 
I  had  just  spoken  and  the  gratitude  which  he  felt  in 
reference  to  it.  I  happened  once  to  be  with  him  at 
Vichy,  when  the  sons  of  Ismail  were  stopping  there 
in  the  charge  of  an  Egyptian  colonel  and  a  tutor  whose 
name  escapes  me.  One  day  these  Princes  gave  a  dinner. 
They  invited  the  Due  Decazes  and  me  as  well.  The 
Duke  sat  at  the  right  of  Ismail's  eldest  boy,  and  I  was 
on  the  second  son's  left.  The  dinner,  entirely  in  the 
European  fashion,  was  served  by  a  single  maitre  d'hotel. 
The  soup  had  been  passed  before  we  sat  down  to  table. 
The  maitre  d'hdtel  first  served  the  eldest  of  the  Princes, 
then  the  second,  then  the  others  (I  believe  they  were 
four),  and  it  was  only  then  that  he  served  the  Due  Decazes, 
who  appeared  to  be  somewhat  surprised.  But  he  un- 
doubtedly thought  it  only  a  single  oversight,  and,  as 
he  was  forbidden  fish,  he  refused  the  course.  But  the 
same  thing  occurred  throughout  the  dinner.  The  younger 
Princes  were  mere  children,  with  good  appetites,  accus- 
tomed to  be  humoured  like  Princes  brought  up  by  tutors 
who  trembled  before  them,  and  they  turned  and  returned 
the  dishes  to  get  the  best  portions,  so  that  by  the  time 
the  plates  reached  the  Due  Decazes  they  presented 
anything  but  an  appetizing  appearance.  The  Duke 
had  become  a  little  pale.  He  had  omitted  the  second 
course,  as  I  have  said.  The  following  course  he  had 
refused  so  as  to  make  his  thought  apparent,  hoping  that 


DIPLOMACY  AND  JOURNALISM  311 

that  would  suffice  to  call  attention  to  the  mistake  that 
was  being  committed.  He  was  the  French  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs;  Vichy  was  French  soil;  and  it  was,  so 
to  speak,  France  whom  these  young  foreign  Princes  had 
invited  to  their  table.  All  honour  was  due  to  France. 
The  dishes  ought  certainly  to  have  been  first  passed  to 
the  Duke,  and  only  if  he  refused  to  help  himself  before 
the  eldest  Prince,  should  the  plate  have  reached  him 
second.  But  matters  went  on  quite  differently.  During 
the  entire  dinner — and  it  was  a  long  one — the  plates 
were  offered  in  succession  to  all  the  Princes,  and  came 
back  pillaged  to  the  Due  Decazes,  who  refused  them. 

I  saw  his  anger  rising  to  his  face  as  the  dinner  went 
on.  I  feared  an  explosion.  But  the  diplomatist  re- 
strained himself,  and  the  gentleman  in  him  found  a 
smile  to  respond  to  the  Prince  every  time  that  the  latter 
addressed  him,  which,  however,  was  not  often.  When 
the  dinner  was  over  the  Duke  called  to  him  the  Master 
of  Ceremonies,  and  said  to  him  quietly,  but  in  a  tone  of 
muffled  wrath :  "  You  are  not  very  well  up  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  official  dinners,  sir.  I  will  see  that  you  get 
better  instructions."  And  while  the  officer  became 
livid  at  these  words,  the  Duke  turned  his  back  on 
him  and,  coming  up  to  me,  said:  "This  time,  too,  I 
beg  you  not  to  say  anything  about  this  ridiculous  busi- 
ness; it  will  be  quickly  set  right."  And,  indeed,  the 
result  was,  I  believe,  that  the  unfortunate  officer  soon 
lost  his  situation. 

The  other  time  when  I  saw  the  Due  Decazes  angry, 
and  when  he  silently  recalled  my  discretion  in  reference 
to  the  Suez  shares,  was  as  follows:  France  had  sent  a 
vessel,  the  Orenoque,  to  Civita  Vecchia,  where  it  anchored 


312  MEMOIRS   OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 

and  for  some  years  was  there  as  a  sort  of  defiance  to  the 
conquered  unity  of  Italy.  The  idea  was  that  if  it  were 
necessary  the  Pope  might  find  there  a  refuge  in  Italian 
waters  as  a  safe  stage  in  getting  away  to  foreign  soil. 
This  ship,  anchored  there  in  constant  protest  against  the 
occupation  of  Rome  by  the  Italians,  became  an  object 
of  irritation  in  Italian  eyes.  The  Chevalier  Nigra,  then 
Italian  Ambassador  in  Paris,  often  spoke  to  me  of  what 
he  picturesquely  called  "une  faute  d' orthographie  obstinee" 
which  France  was  committing  in  her  relations  with 
Italy. 

"But  why,"  said  I  to  him  one  day,  "why  don't  you 
speak  to  the  Due  Decazes  ?" 

"That's  impossible,"  replied  the  Chevalier  Nigra. 
"Once  I  mention  the  matter  to  him,  we  shall  have  to 
go  up  to  the  very  end.  In  a  matter  of  this  sort  there  is 
no  half-way  point,  for  when  a  nation  has  said,  *I  beg 
you  to  withdraw  this  ship,'  it  must  soon  add,  'I  wish 
you  to  withdraw  it.'  But  you,  when  you  see  the  Duke, 
explain  to  him  what  I  have  just  been  saying,  that  he 
may  understand  why,  notwithstanding  the  irritation 
this  matter  of  the  Orenoque  causes,  I  cannot  speak  of  it 
to  him." 

And,  indeed,  as  a  result  of  this  conversation  I  saw  the 
Due  Decazes. 

"We  certainly  should  have  this  matter  out  between 
us,"  said  he  to  me;  "but  it  must  be  quite  clear  that 
the  conversation  is  to  be  a  purely  friendly  one,  quite  un- 
official, and  that  no  written  trace  shall  remain  of  it,  and 
that  all  that  is  said  shall  be  said  from  me  to  him,  and 
from  him  to  me." 

The  conversation  took  place.     I    afterward    learned 


DIPLOMACY  AND  JOURNALISM  313 

that  it  finished  with  these  words,  uttered  by  the  ChevaHer 
de  Nigra:  "You  will  force  us  to  seek  the  friendship  of 
those  who  treat  us  less  cavalierly."  I  had  the  bad  luck 
to  drop  in  at  the  Quai  d'Orsay  just  at  the  moment  when 
the  Chevalier  de  Nigra  was  going  out.  The  conversation 
with  the  latter  had  exasperated  the  Due  Decazes,  and 
when  I  entered  his  room  he  was  in  a  paroxysm  of  anger. 
I  saw  it  as  soon  as  I  entered,  but  it  was  too  late,  and  in  my 
embarrassment,  not  quite  knowing  what  to  say,  I  limited 
myself  to  these  words,  which  were  quite  contrary  to  my 
habit:  'Eh  hien,  M.  le  Due,  qu'y  a-t-il  de  nouveauf 
("Well,  Duke,  what  is  the  news?")  The  Duke,  who  was 
only  looking  for  an  excuse  to  burst  out,  roughly  replied : 
"  Really,  mon  cher,  it  isn't  my  business  to  do  your  corre- 
spondence. "  I  got  angry  in  my  turn ;  I  stopped  suddenly 
and  replied:  "True,  sir;  but  it's  a  very  good  thing  for 
my  readers  that  it  is  not  your  business."  The  Duke 
remained  a  moment  uncertain,  but  as  I  started  toward 
the  door  he  burst  into  a  laugh  and,  getting  up,  came  to 
me  and  said :  "  Allans,  give  me  your  hand  and  make  peace. 
You  know  well  enough  that  I  promised  never  to  get 
annoyed  with  you."  And,  indeed,  amid  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  time  and  things,  I  had  the  honour  of  keeping  his 
friendship  to  the  end. 

On  another  occasion,  and  so  to  speak,  in  spite  of  myself, 
I  mentioned  a  diplomatist  from  whom  I  had  a  commu- 
nication. This  diplomatist,  who  still  occupies  a  highly 
important  post,  wrote  to  me  in  1876  as  follows,  thanking 
me  for  an  invitation  to  dinner  addressed  to  him  on  the 
intervention  of  a  common  friend,  "  I  have  now  for  a 
long  time  desired  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  man 
whose  reputation  is  based  on  a  journalistic  work  beyond 


314  MEMOIRS   OF   M.   de   BLOWITZ 

and  above  all  criticism, "  etc.  We  were  soon  on  the  best 
of  terms,  and  I  know  few  persons  whose  gift  of  lively, 
piquant,  anecdotal  talk  was  so  fine  as  his.  One  day, 
while  passing  through  Paris,  he  fell  ill  at  a  hotel.  I 
went  to  see  him,  and  showing  me  a  copy  of  a  confidential 
despatch  addressed  to  his  Government,  he  said,  "Sac-a-la- 
papier"  (this  was  his  way  of  saying  Sac-a-papier)  "read 
that — it  would  be  amusing  to  publish. "  I  was  naturally 
of  his  opinion,  and  he  ended  by  giving  it  to  me,  urging 
me  to  cut  out  anything  which  appeared  to  me  compro- 
mising. I  went  through  this  work  of  expurgation  most 
conscientiously.  The  telegram  appeared  in  a  remote 
comer  in  the  outer  sheet  of  the  paper.  It  did  not  make 
the  stir  I  had  expected,  and,  indeed,  it  was  very  little 
spoken  of.  But  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  to  whom 
it  was  addressed  noticed  its  publication  and  spoke  of  it 
to  my  friendly  informant,  who  forthwith  wrote  me  a 
violent  letter  as  if  I  had  abused  his  confidence,  quite 
forgetting  that  it  was  he  himself  who  had  entrusted  the 
despatch  to  me  for  publication. 

I  have  never  seen  this  remarkable  and  charming  man 
since,  and  the  loss  of  his  friendship  is  the  price  I  had  to 
pay  for  having  involuntarily  stripped  him,  as  regards  his 
chief,  of  that  useful  anonymity  behind  which  alone  a 
trained  diplomatist  manages  to  preserve  the  sweetness 
of  his  manners  and  the  charming  smile  of  his  lips. 

Need  I  recall  for  the  edification  of  any  journalist  who 
reads  this  that  in  his  relation  with  diplomacy  he  must 
always  remember  that  the  true  diplomatist  necessarily 
knows  nothing  of  gratitude ;  that  he  regards  the  journalist 
as  an  auxiliary,  sometimes  useful  and  always  dangerous; 
and  that  he  will  never  hesitate  to  throw  him  overboard 


DIPLOMACY  AND  JOURNALISM  315 

when  it  suits  his  ideas  of  his  duty  to  do  so?     In  this 
connection  I  recall  a  striking  and  decisive  illustration. 

It  was  in  1874,  at  the  moment  when  the  Arnim  trial 
was  going  on  in  Germany.  Baron  Holstein,  who  had 
played  so  curious  a  role  in  connection  with  Count  Arnim, 
was  Second  Secretary  of  the  German  Embassy  at  Paris. 
His  intervention  in  this  terrible  question  between  Arnim 
and  Bismarck  was  not  liked  and  was  badly  judged  here. 
French  public  opinion  looked  askance  on  the  hand  of 
Germany  in  the  interior  politics  of  the  coimtry,  and 
Baron  Holstein  was  violently  attacked  for  his  role  in  this 
matter.  The  Journal  des  Dehats,  which  enjoyed  then  a 
real  power  and  influence,  was  particularly  noticeable  in 
its  campaign  against  Baron  Holstein,  and  its  attitude 
was  such  that,  if  persisted  in,  Baron  Holstein's  stay  at 
Paris  must  necessarily  have  become  impossible.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  I  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  Rodolphe 
Lindau,  who  was  also  at  the  German  Embassy  and  who 
brought  to  me  a  document  justifying  Baron  Holstein. 
By  very  convincing  arguments  he  showed  me  that  I  ought 
to  undertake  his  defense  against  the  Journal  des  Debats. 
In  the  existing  state  of  French  public  opinion  this  was  a 
heavy  task ;  but  I  undertook  it  conscientiously  as  a  duty, 
and  I  had  the  satisfaction — always  so  rare,  however — of 
seeing  that  paper  lay  down  its  arms  before  my  arguments. 
This  took  place  toward  the  end  of  December,  1874,  and 
on  the  30th  of  that  month  Baron  Holstein  wrote  to  me 
that  if  he  had  not  been  kept  at  home  by  an  attack  of 
la  grippe  he  would  have  hastened  to  come  in  person  to 
thank  me.  A  week  later,  on  January  8,  1875,  indeed, 
he  did  come,  and  thanked  me  warmly.  I  had  made,  he 
said,  by  my  courageous  intervention,  his  stay  in  Paris 


3i6 


MEMOIRS  OF  M.   de   BLOWITZ 


possible.  We  talked  for  some  time  of  his  personal  situa- 
tion. I  told  him  that  I  was  myself  just  then  in  a  critical 
place,  not  surely  knowing  whether  or  not  I  should  succeed 
Mr.  Hardman  as  chief  correspondent  of  the  Times,  and 
that  I  had,  of  course,  many  competitors  to  whom  I  cotild 
oppose  only  my  devotion  and  my  work.  Some  days 
after — ^that  is,  on  January  i6 — a  friendly  hand  sent  me 
a  letter  of  Baron  Holstein,  sixteen  octavo  pages  in  length, 
bearing  the  superscription:  " Kaiserlich  Deutsche  Both- 
schaft  in  Frankreich, "  and  entirely  written  and  signed  by 
the  Baron's  hand.  It  was  addressed  to  one  of  the  most 
intimate  friends  of  Mr.  John  Delane,  editor  of  the  Times, 
and  denounced  me  as  quite  imder  the  thumb  of  the  Due 
Decazes,  and  as  wilfully  ignoring  and  concealing  from 
my  readers  an  Orleanist  plot  which  was  preparing  a  coup 
d'etat.  In  this  letter  the  Times  was  urged  to  send  to  Paris 
some  clever  and  impartial  person  to  keep  the  paper 
informed  of  what  was  here  going  on  underneath  as  well 
as  on  the  surface. 

This  letter,  I  repeat,  reached  me  on  January  i6,  a 
week  after  Baron  Holstein 's  visit  of  gratitude,  and  it  had 
been  sent  on  the  12th.  I  need  not  say  that  I  have  care- 
fully preserved  this  curious  and  instructive  document 
now  for  almost  eighteen  years,  and  if  I  divulge  it  to-day 
it  is  because  it  is  so  appropriate  in  these  pages,  showing, 
as  it  does,  with  what  stoicism  a  diplomatist  bent  upon 
his  duty  rids  himself  of  the  duty  when  he  thinks  that  he 
ought  to  do  so  in  the  interests  of  a  higher  cause. 


My  memoirs  are  now  at  an  end. 

The  life  of  a  journalist  is  so  ephemeral,  what  he  accom- 
plishes is  so  swiftly  swept  away,  what  he  writes  is  so 


DIPLOMACY  AND  JOURNALISM.  317 

promptly  wiped  out  by  oblivion,  that  I  have  taken  the 
liberty,  in  the  preceding  pages,  of  retracing,  as  they 
return  to  my  mind,  some  of  the  historical  events  in 
which  I  happened  to  play  a  part. 

I  have  written  this  book  without  any  other  after- 
thought than  to  survive,  for  a  few  months,  TIME — that 
rolls  by  and  carries  all  away.  I  have  not  narrated  every- 
thing that  I  have  seen  or  learned  during  my  long  and 
adventurous  career,  because  I  consider  that  I  have  the 
right  to  imfold  only  secrets  that  are  mine,  and  because 
I  do  not  wish  to  follow  the  example  of  some  men  who, 
when  they  speak  from  beneath  the  tomb,  accuse,  attack, 
destroy — and  only  give  their  victims  an  opportunity  to 
reply  by  dipping  their  nails  into  the  planks  of  one's 
coffin. 

All  that  I  have  written  is  the  expression  of  truth.  I 
have  considered  it  my  duty  to  present,  in  their  real 
simplicity,  events  with  which  I  have  been  closely  con- 
nected, and  which  others,  in  their  narratives,  have 
amplified  less  in  order  to  tell  the  truth  than  to  disguise  it 
at  my  expense. 

I  have  never  sought  applause  nor  feared  criticism. 
I  know  that  the  fatigued  reader  stops  on  the  way.  I 
need  not,  therefore,  ask  those  who  have  followed  me  to 
the  end  to  refrain  from  reproaching  me  too  severely  for 
the  time  they  have  spent  in  the  company  of  so  poor  a 
personality  as  myself. 

THE    END 


INDEX 


Abarzuzza,  M.,  79 
Abdul-Hamid,  Sultan  of  Turkey, 

244,    252,   253,    254,    255,    256, 

258-269 
Abdul  Huda-el-Rifai,  246 
Adam,  Mme.,  236 
Agnel,  Armand  d',  20 
Alexander      II.,      Emperor      of 

Russia,  98,  99,   103,   108,   109, 

113 

Alger,  J.  C,  77 

Alphonse    XII.,    King   of   Spain, 

79,  86-88 
Alva,    158,    163,    164,    165,    166, 

158-177,  185-189,  192 
Alven,  Doctor,  169-176,  179-183, 

165,  186,  188 
Andrassy,  Count,  161 
Andrieux,  M.,  54 
Appert,  General,  39 
Amim,  Count,  315 
Aumale,  Duke  d',  276-277 
Austen,  Charles,  42,  68 

Banuelos,  Count  de,  82-85 
Banuelos,  Countess  de,  83 
Bardoux,  M.,  181 
Beaconsfield,  Lord,  127,  148 
Beekman,  Mr.,  194,  195 
Bergmann,  Professor,  284 
Berlin,  Congress  of,  1 16-139 
Bismarck,     Prince,     93,     94,     95, 
114,    115,    123,    127,    129,    139, 
140-149,    150,    151,    161,    196, 
197,    200,    204,    205,    206,    293, 
294-300,  306 
Bismarck,  Princess,  141,  299,  300 
Bismarck,    Count    Herbert,    297, 

^  305 

Blowitz,  Henri  Georges  Stephan 
Adolphe  de,  oirth,  3;  escape 
from  kidnappers,  4-7;  educa- 
tion, 7-8;  early  travels,  8-13; 
return  to  the  Chateau  of 
Blowsky  and  loss  of  family 
fortune,  14;  meeting  with  Count 


Blowitz  de — Continued 

Kolowrath  and  visit  to  Paris, 
16-18;  appointment  to  chair  of 
foreign  literature,  20;  mar- 
riage, 20;  failure  of  industrial 
inventions,  20-21;  part  in 
elections  of  1869,  24-27; 
Franco- Prussian  War,  27; 
naturalization  as  French  citi- 
zen, 28;  services  during  the 
Commune,  29-32;  bringing  to 
M.  Thiers  news  of  entry  of 
troops  into  Paris,  32-33;  pro- 
posed consulate,  33,  43,  44; 
decoration  for  services  during 
Commune,  34;  meeting  with 
Laurence  Oliphant,  35;  tem- 
porary appointment  to  the 
Times,  35;  first  telegram  to 
Times,  38;  permanent  appoint- 
ment to  Times,  44;  report 
of  M.  Thiers's  speech  from 
memory,  47-48;  summer  with 
M.  Thiers  at  Trouville,  and 
part  in  champagne  conspiracy, 
52-67;  temporary  appointment 
to  Times  as  Paris  corre- 
spondent, 77;  interview  with 
Alphonse  XII.  on  the  night 
of  his  proclamation  as  King 
of  Spain,  and  telegram  to  the 
Times,  79-89;  permanent  ap- 
pointment to  Times  as  Paris 
correspondent,  90;  publication 
of  the  letter  known  as  "the 
French  Scare,"  91 -115;  pub- 
lication in  the  Times  of  the 
Treaty  of  Berlin  at  the  hour 
of  its  signature  in  Berlin,  xi6— 
139;  five  hours'  interview  with 
Bismarck,  140-149;  friendship 
with  Madame  Marsa  Chamil, 
and  connection  with  her  affairs, 
157-193;  the  Princess  Kralta, 
195-21 1 ;  the  mystery  of 
Mme.  Elou,  212-233;  part  in 


319 


320 


INDEX 


Blowitz  de — Continued 

the  events  that  led  to  France's 
attitude  toward  the  Egyptian 
question     in     1882,     234-241; 
visit    to     Constantinople     and 
interview    with    Sultan,     242- 
269;  interview  with  the  Count 
de    Paris    on    the    occasion    of 
the    introduction    of    the    bill 
for  the  expulsion  of  the  French 
princes,   270-278;  the  tragedy 
at    San    Remo,    279-291;    the 
true    story    of    the    retirement 
of   Bismarck   and   the   trouble 
.    caused  by  its  publication,  292- 
306;  instances  of  the  gratitude 
of  statesmen,  307-317 
Blowitz,  Marc  Opper  de,  4 
Bramann,  Doctor,  287,  288 
Bruhl,  Countess,  283,  289 
Buckle,  George,  212 

Calmon,  M.,  31 
Capri vi,  General,  296,  297 
Cemuschi,  Henri,  211 
Chamil,  Mme.  Marsa,  157-193 
Champagne  conspiracy,  59-67 
Chartres,  Duke  de,  276 
Clasczko,  M.,  96 
Clemenceau,  M.,  240 
Corti,  Count,  119 
Cr^mieux,  Adolphe,  28 
Czaski,  Monseigneur,  218 

Decazes,  Duke,  91,  96-101,  105, 
109,  no,  117,  119,  307-313 

Delane,  John,  47,  48,  75,  77, 
78,  89,  99,  100,  103,  104,  3^^ 

Despres,  M.,  200 

Derby,  Lord,  104,  308,  309 

Desprez,  M.,  133,  135 

Dosne,  Mile.,  54 

Dufaure,  M.,  119,  180,  181 

Dufferin,  Lord,  244,   245 

Elou,  Mme.  Georgine,  213-218, 
219,    220,    221,    222-226,    228- 

233 
Essad-Pasha,  242 
Evans,  Thomas,  285 
Exile  of  French  princes,  270-278 
Fabre,  M.,  188 
Falloux  Mme.,  18,  19 
Favre,  Jules,  145,  146 
Fayet,  Captain,  54 
Foster,  Mr.,  244 


Frederick  William,  Crown  Prince 
of  Germany,  279-281,  283-291 

Frederick,  Crown  Princess  of 
Germany,  283,  289,  290 

French  Scare  of  1875,  91-115 

Freycinet,  M.  de,  234-239 

Gaillard,  Colonel,  39,  40 
Gallifet,  General  de,  156 
Gambetta,  M.,  25,  26,   150,   151, 
^  152,  153-1SS.  i8r,  234-239 
Gontaut-Biron,    Cotxnt    de,    10 1, 

102, 103 
GortchakofE,   103,   107,   108,   in, 

126 
Gunsbourg,  M.,  61,  62,  63,  64 
Guaracino,    Mr.,    248,    249,    250, 

252,  253 

Harcourt,  Viscount  d',  72 
Hardman,    Frederic,   35,   39,   42, 

^    70.  72,  73.  316 

Harris,  Mr.,  49,   69 

Hay  merle,  Count  von,  161 

Henry,  Prince,  285 

Hoftenhausen,  Baron,  211 

Hohenlohe,  Prince,  98,  121,  122, 

128,    129,    130,    133,    134,    140, 

151,  200 
Holstein,    Baron   von,    151,    152, 
,   315. 316 
Humbert,  King  of  Italy,  220 

Ignatieff,   143 

Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain,  81,  87 

Ismail,  308,  310 

Jacobini,  Cardinal,  219,  220, 
240,  241 

Karageorgewitch,  Prince,  162, 

164 
K6ratry,  Count  de,  52,  53 
Khair-eddin- Pasha,  249,  250 
Klattau,  Bishop  of,  9 
Kolowrath,  Coimt,  17,  18 
Kralta,  Princess,  19 5-2 11 

Lambert,  Colonel,  54 
Ledochowski,  Cardinal,  223,  230 
Leo  XIII.,  Pope,  220 — 222,  301 
Leflo,  Count,  105 
Leroux,  Colonel,  54 
Lesseps,  M.  de,  24,  25 
Lindau,  Rudolphe,  315 


INDEX 


321 


Macdonald,  John,   70,   77,   212, 

213 
Mackenzie,  Sir  Morell,  284,  287, 

288,  291 
MacMahon,     Marshal,     92,     105, 

106,  119 
Marshall,  Frederick,  34,  35 
Mabroyeni- Pasha,  254 
Missak-Effendi,  243 
Meurand,  M.,  32,  ^S 
Moltke,  Count,  93,  94,  102,  iii, 

144 
Morphy,  Count,  84,  85,  86,  88,  89 
Morris,  Mowbray,  68 
Munir-Bey,  243,  245,  260 
Miinster,   Prince,    292,   293,   294, 

295-300,  303-306 

Nancy,  Bishop  of,  92 
Nigra,  Chevalier,  312,  313 
Nothomb,  Baron,  132 

Oliphant,     Laurence,     34,     35, 

37,  39,  42,  43,  47.  49.  68,  69, 

70.  74 
Oliphant,  Mrs.  Laurence,  68,  70 

Orloff,  Prince,  46,  61,   105,   107, 

189,  190,  191 
Osman-Bey,  247,  256,  269 

Paget,  Sir  Augustus,  219 
Paris,  Count  de,  271-278 
Pessard,  Hector  de,  156,  157,  160 
Philippe- Effendi,    247,   252,    253, 

254,  257 
"  Pepe-en-Bois,     41 
Pouyer-Quertier,  M.,  93 

Radolinski,  Count,  285 
Radowitz,  M.  de,  loi,  102,  115 
Raghib-Bey,  258,  259,  268 
R6musat,  Count  de,  91 
Renault,  L6on,  97 
Rende,  Monseigneur  de,  218 
Reschid-Bey,  248 
Russell,  Lord  Odo,  123 

Said-Pasha,  243,  246,  249 


Saint-Hilaire,  Barth^lemy,  30 
St.  Vallier,  Count,  127,  133,  135, 

136,  139,  181,  200 
Salignac,  Lieutenant  Pension  de, 

54 
Salisbury,  Lord,  127 
San  Remo,  279-291 
Sartorius,  Baron,  210,  211 
Seckendorff,  Count  von,  285 
ShuvalofT,  147,  148 
Simon,  M.  Jules,  161 
Smythe,  Mr.,  250 
Sophie,  Princess,  284 

Theodori  Kara,  161 

Thiers,  M.,  18,  24,  26,  27,  30, 
31.  32,  33,  37.  38,  39.  42,  44, 
45.  46,  47.  52-67.  91.  145.  146, 

239 
Thiers,  Mme,  52,  54 
Timachief,  M.,  44 

Valon,  Count   Bertrand  de,  61, 

63 
Valon,  Countess  de,  61,  104 

Victoria,  Princess,  283 

Villeboisnet,  General  Espivent  de 

la,  29,  30 

Vinchent,  M.,  133,  138 

Waddington,  M.,  119,  123,  147, 
180,   181,   182,   183,   184,   189, 
190,   191,   192 
Waddington,  Mme.,  119 
Waiss-Bey,  247,  248,  250,  254 
Wallace,  Mackenzie,  134,  137,  138 
Wasck,  Reverend  Father,  4 
William  I.,  Emperor  of  Germany, 
93,    95,     103,    204,    205,    206, 

286,  288,  289,  296,  297,  298 
WiUiam    II.,    Emperor    of    Ger- 
many, 283,  285,  287,  293,  296, 
297 

YousouPOFF,  Princess,  113 

Zirio,  Mme.  de,  281-284,  286, 

287,  289 


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